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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. swing — music
  3. suit — clothes
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. rash — hasty
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cell — in biology
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. suit — in cards
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. racket — for tennis

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