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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. court — of law
  6. wax — to grow
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — a phone
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. court — for sport
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fine — all right

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