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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 116 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. net — in sport
  4. press — to push
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. press — a publisher
  8. net — for catching
  9. dip — to sink
  10. present — a gift
  11. squash — to crush
  12. swing — music
  13. present — the time now
  14. swing — in golf
  15. ball — a dance
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. swing — to play on
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. net — after costs
  20. press — newspapers
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. squash — the sport
  24. present — there

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