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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fork — in a road
  4. swing — to play on
  5. kid — to tease
  6. suit — clothes
  7. swing — in golf
  8. shower — rain
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. shower — to wash
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. kid — child
  17. wax — to grow
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hand — help
  21. swing — music
  22. suit — in cards
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fork — to eat with

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