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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rule — government
  6. kid — to tease
  7. swing — to play on
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. swing — music
  12. kid — child
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — magic
  15. rule — a law
  16. pass — a permit
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rule — to rule out

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