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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bass — low music
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. firm — steady
  7. swing — music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. swing — to play on
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bass — the fish
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cap — a hat
  19. firm — a company
  20. stem — to come from
  21. wax — to grow
  22. pass — a permit
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stem — of a plant

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