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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. club — for golf
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. degree — an amount
  5. track — a path
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. club — a group
  8. bass — low music
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. degree — from a university
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. club — for dancing
  15. track — to keep track
  16. cap — of ice
  17. track — a song
  18. kick — in football
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cap — a lid
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. degree — temperature

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