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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 116 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. squash — the sport
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — a group
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. board — a committee
  11. club — for golf
  12. game — a match
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bass — low music
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bass — the fish

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