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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. stock — goods
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. suit — in cards
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. hand — in cards
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. hand — help
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wind — moving air
  12. stock — shares
  13. wax — to grow
  14. court — of a king
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. court — of law
  18. suit — to fit
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — for light
  21. suit — clothes
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wind — moving air
  24. safe — a strongbox

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