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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. swing — music
  3. cold — not warm
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. march — music
  14. cold — an illness
  15. wax — to grow
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wound — an injury
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. key — in music
  23. swing — in golf
  24. cold — the Cold War

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