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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. can — a tin
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. can — a tin
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rash — a series
  13. game — a match
  14. rash — hasty
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. game — wild animals
  18. ball — a great time
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. content — the amount
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wax — to grow
  24. content — happy

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