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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 116 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  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. rule — government
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. ground — crushed
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bass — low music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rule — a law
  16. bass — the fish
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. file — a document
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. file — a tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ground — a position
  23. snap — to click
  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