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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. rule — a law
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rule — government
  6. bore — to tire
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kid — child
  11. bass — low music
  12. fall — to drop
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. fall — the season
  20. kid — to tease
  21. swing — music
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitch — completely

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