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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. game — a match
  3. file — a document
  4. rush — hurry
  5. court — for sport
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. court — of a king
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. file — a tool
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. lean — thin
  14. wake — a trail
  15. lean — to bend
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. game — wild animals
  22. file — a line of people
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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