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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. swing — in golf
  4. march — music
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bat — the animal
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wax — to grow
  19. swing — music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. toast — bread
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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