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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 124 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. face — part of the head
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wax — to grow
  6. swing — in golf
  7. face — to confront
  8. swing — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. deal — to handle
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. season — of the year
  14. hand — in cards
  15. date — the fruit
  16. squash — to crush
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. season — in sport
  19. squash — the sport
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. hand — help
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wax — for sculpting

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