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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. game — a match
  13. bass — low music
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bass — the fish
  16. spell — magic
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. content — the amount
  22. wax — to grow
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. game — a kind of play

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