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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bass — low music
  4. rash — a series
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. season — of the year
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. object — a thing
  18. court — of a king
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wax — to grow
  24. leaves — to go away

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