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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. swing — in golf
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. drill — a practice
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. drill — army training
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. chair — a leader
  13. drill — the tool
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stand — to bear
  23. degree — from a university
  24. swing — music

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