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

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pass — a permit
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. track — a path
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. capital — a city
  12. track — to keep track
  13. capital — money
  14. court — of law
  15. wax — to grow
  16. track — a song
  17. court — for sport
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. court — of a king
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wax — for sculpting

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