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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. lie — to recline
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chest — a box
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. dip — to sink
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chest — of your body
  13. snap — to click
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. wax — to grow
  17. swing — in golf
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. club — for dancing
  21. club — for golf
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. swing — music
  24. club — a group

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