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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. tube — a container
  3. swing — music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — for sport
  10. file — a document
  11. court — of law
  12. swing — in golf
  13. tube — the underground
  14. wax — to grow
  15. mug — a face
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. swing — to play on
  19. court — of a king
  20. fine — high quality
  21. fine — all right
  22. pass — a permit
  23. file — a tool
  24. pass — to spend time

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