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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. face — part of the head
  5. row — a line
  6. court — of a king
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. face — to confront
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. court — for sport
  17. wax — to grow
  18. court — of law
  19. club — a group
  20. row — to paddle
  21. club — for golf
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bass — low music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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