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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bass — low music
  4. land — ground
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rash — a series
  8. march — the month
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. march — music
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kick — in football
  14. land — a country
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. march — the month
  17. land — to come down
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. rash — on the skin

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