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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. mate — to breed
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mate — a friend
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — to visit
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. deal — to handle
  12. swing — music
  13. bass — low music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pop — music
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pop — soda
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wax — to grow

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