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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fine — all right
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lie — to recline
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. swing — in golf
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. wax — in the ear

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