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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. swing — music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. race — humankind
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. field — for sport
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rash — a series
  10. field — a subject
  11. swing — in golf
  12. track — to keep track
  13. wax — to grow
  14. track — a song
  15. race — a contest
  16. swing — to play on
  17. track — a path
  18. rash — hasty
  19. snap — to click
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. sharp — clever
  22. field — farmland
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. race — the arms race

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