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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. wax — to grow
  3. capital — money
  4. bass — low music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. current — of water
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. bass — the fish
  11. club — a group
  12. current — happening now
  13. mug — a face
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ball — a great time
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ball — a dance
  18. current — electric
  19. capital — a city
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mug — a cup
  22. date — the fruit
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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