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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. season — in sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. game — a match
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pass — a permit
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. capital — a city
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. wake — a trail
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bass — low music
  22. game — wild animals
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — money

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