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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. field — for sport
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. field — farmland
  6. wax — to grow
  7. chip — to eat
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. bass — the fish
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pop — to visit
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. field — a subject
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bass — low music
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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