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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. toast — bread
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. swing — music
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bass — the fish
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wax — to grow
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. ground — a position
  22. bass — low music
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wax — for sculpting

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