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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. court — of law
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. swing — music
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. swing — in golf
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. press — to push
  19. foot — a measure
  20. press — newspapers
  21. court — of a king
  22. wax — to grow
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. pitcher — a jug

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