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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. last — to go on
  4. net — for catching
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. net — after costs
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. last — finally
  10. can — a tin
  11. net — in sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pop — music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. last — final
  17. can — a tin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pop — soda
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wax — to grow

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