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

Word bank: row · court · bass · chip · pound · wax · swing · mate

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. court — of law
  3. mate — to breed
  4. court — for sport
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bass — low music
  8. chip — for betting
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. row — a line
  11. bass — the fish
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. swing — in golf
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. court — of a king
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. swing — to play on

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