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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — decided
  3. band — a music group
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a ring
  6. ball — a dance
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rest — what's left
  9. scale — in music
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. firm — a company
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rest — a break
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. chip — to eat
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chip — for betting
  20. ball — a great time
  21. scale — size or range
  22. dip — to sink
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. ball — a round shape

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