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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. face — to confront
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wax — to grow
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. face — part of the head
  14. spell — magic
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rule — government
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rule — a law
  21. rash — a series
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. suit — to fit
  24. swing — music

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