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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. field — farmland
  4. suit — clothes
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. content — happy
  9. wax — to grow
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. field — for sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pop — to visit
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. field — a subject
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. content — the amount
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wax — for sculpting

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