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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: chair · ball · wax · march · ground · bass · suit · mouse

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. suit — clothes
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ground — the earth
  10. march — the month
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. bass — the fish
  13. chair — a leader
  14. ground — a position
  15. bass — low music
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. march — the month
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. suit — in cards
  21. march — music
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. suit — to fit

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