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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. can — a tin
  4. capital — money
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. can — to be able to
  8. swing — in golf
  9. court — of law
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. can — a tin
  12. court — of a king
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stand — to bear
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. capital — a city
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. court — for sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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