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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — music
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. bass — low music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. pop — soda
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. key — in music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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