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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bass — low music
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cue — for pool
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bass — the fish
  9. field — farmland
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. firm — a company
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chair — a leader
  14. cue — a hint
  15. mine — for digging
  16. field — a subject
  17. firm — steady
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cue — a signal
  20. field — for sport
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. firm — decided
  24. racket — a loud noise

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