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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · bass · firm · wax · chip · game · cue · field

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bass — low music
  5. cue — for pool
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. firm — steady
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — farmland
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cue — a hint
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. game — a match

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