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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — a signal
  3. firm — steady
  4. present — the time now
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wind — moving air
  7. cue — for pool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. race — humankind
  11. firm — decided
  12. present — there
  13. cue — a hint
  14. race — the arms race
  15. spell — a short time
  16. firm — a company
  17. wax — to grow
  18. race — a contest
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. present — a gift
  21. swing — music
  22. spell — magic
  23. swing — in golf
  24. spell — letters

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