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

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. court — of a king
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chip — to eat
  11. fine — all right
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wax — to grow
  18. court — of law

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