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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bass — low music
  4. mate — a partner
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mate — a friend
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. roll — a cake
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mate — to breed
  16. race — a contest
  17. squash — to crush
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. race — the arms race
  20. sharp — clever
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. race — humankind
  23. bass — the instrument
  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