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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. swing — music
  4. capital — a city
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bass — low music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. cue — for pool
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. field — for sport
  21. bass — the fish
  22. season — in sport
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cue — a signal

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