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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. rule — government
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. object — to protest
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wax — to grow
  8. face — to confront
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. object — an aim
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bass — low music
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. object — a thing
  19. rule — a law
  20. bass — the fish
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pitcher — a jug

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