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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. file — a line of people
  4. court — of law
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — to grow
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bass — the fish
  12. rash — a series
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bass — low music
  15. file — a tool
  16. chair — a leader
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. court — of a king
  21. chip — to eat
  22. file — a document
  23. court — for sport
  24. mug — a face

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