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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. rest — a break
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pass — a permit
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. rest — what's left
  7. snap — to click
  8. rest — what's left
  9. swing — in golf
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. swing — music
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. swing — to play on
  18. sharp — clever
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. scale — size or range
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. scale — in music

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