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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. content — happy
  3. firm — decided
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. content — the amount
  10. bass — the fish
  11. fall — the season
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. firm — steady
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. firm — a company
  21. pop — music
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rock — music
  24. pop — soda

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