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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. wound — an injury
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. swing — music
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. swing — in golf
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. swing — to play on
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wax — in the ear

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