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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. row — to paddle
  8. season — of the year
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. lie — to recline
  12. row — a line
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bass — low music
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bat — the animal
  21. season — in sport
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wax — to grow

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