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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 120 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. march — music
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. swing — in golf
  10. kick — in football
  11. swing — music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. craft — boats
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. craft — a skill
  24. march — the month

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