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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: wax · rule · chest · suit · swing · game · bass · stock

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. suit — in cards
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chest — of your body
  5. swing — to play on
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. swing — in golf
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rule — government
  11. bass — low music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. swing — music
  15. stock — shares
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. rule — a law
  19. stock — goods
  20. suit — to fit
  21. chest — a box
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. suit — clothes
  24. game — a kind of play

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