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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bass — the fish
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. last — to go on
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chair — a leader
  9. suit — in cards
  10. last — finally
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. last — final
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bass — low music
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. suit — clothes
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wax — to grow
  24. suit — to fit

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