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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. swing — to play on
  6. season — in sport
  7. swing — music
  8. firm — decided
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ground — a position
  11. swing — in golf
  12. wax — to grow
  13. scale — size or range
  14. firm — steady
  15. bass — the fish
  16. scale — in music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. firm — a company
  22. ground — crushed
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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