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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. scale — size or range
  9. court — of a king
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. scale — in music
  15. suit — in cards
  16. suit — to fit
  17. pass — a permit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bass — low music
  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