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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. scale — in music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. chest — of your body
  5. scale — size or range
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pop — soda
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. content — the amount
  11. club — for golf
  12. rest — a break
  13. club — for dancing
  14. chest — a box
  15. club — a group
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wax — to grow
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. chest — of your body
  21. content — happy
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cabinet — ministers

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