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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 116 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. swing — to play on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. face — part of the head
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. face — to confront
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. face — to point toward
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. firm — steady
  16. deal — to handle
  17. swing — in golf
  18. game — wild animals
  19. cell — in biology
  20. firm — decided
  21. swing — music
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. racket — for tennis

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