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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mark — a grade
  3. swing — to play on
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. game — wild animals
  9. swing — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. content — the amount
  12. cap — a lid
  13. pass — a permit
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rock — a stone
  18. content — happy
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. game — a match
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mark — a trace

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