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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spring — the season
  3. spring — of water
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. charge — in control
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. wax — to grow
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. charge — a price
  10. snap — to click
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. charge — electricity
  13. swing — music
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. present — there
  16. swing — in golf
  17. present — the time now
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. present — a gift
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. swing — to play on
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pitch — completely
  24. sharp — clever

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