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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · rule · chair · bass · scale · rash · content · wax

  1. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. scale — size or range
  3. wax — to grow
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — a match
  6. rule — a law
  7. rash — hasty
  8. game — wild animals
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rash — a series
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bass — low music
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rule — government
  22. chair — a leader
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. content — happy

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