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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mug — a cup
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. swing — in golf
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. swing — music
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. shower — rain
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wake — a trail
  22. mug — a face
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bat — the animal

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