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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. suit — in cards
  4. march — the month
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. swing — in golf
  7. march — music
  8. file — a line of people
  9. tube — the underground
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. club — for golf
  12. wax — to grow
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. swing — music
  16. march — the month
  17. file — a tool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. suit — to fit
  20. tube — a container
  21. kick — in football
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — a group
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com