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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fine — all right
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. charge — in control
  7. drill — army training
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bound — obliged
  12. charge — a price
  13. bound — certain
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. drill — the tool
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. swing — in golf
  19. drill — a practice
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mine — for digging

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