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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pit — in a race
  5. rule — a law
  6. can — a tin
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pit — a hole
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bound — certain
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rule — government
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bass — low music
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. ground — a position
  24. ground — the earth

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