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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. firm — decided
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. firm — a company
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. stock — shares
  12. rush — hurry
  13. hand — help
  14. last — final
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. swing — to play on
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. stock — goods
  20. capital — money
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. firm — steady
  24. wax — to grow

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