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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bass — the fish
  5. court — of a king
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. season — in sport
  8. key — in music
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bass — low music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. key — for a lock
  13. board — to get on
  14. court — for sport
  15. dip — to sink
  16. key — the most important part
  17. season — of the year
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wax — to grow
  21. board — a committee
  22. court — of law
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wax — for sculpting

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