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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. staff — employees
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — a thing
  6. wake — a trail
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. object — to protest
  12. scale — in music
  13. stock — shares
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. staff — employees
  18. wax — to grow
  19. court — of a king
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stock — goods
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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