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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bass — low music
  3. land — to come down
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — wild animals
  11. rash — a series
  12. wax — to grow
  13. land — a country
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rash — hasty
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. land — ground
  24. game — a match

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