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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. swing — to play on
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. date — the fruit
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. net — in sport
  17. perch — the fish
  18. net — after costs
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. swing — in golf
  22. net — for catching
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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