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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kid — child
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. press — newspapers
  9. kid — to tease
  10. last — final
  11. wax — to grow
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. last — finally
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. court — of a king
  17. press — to push
  18. court — of law
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. chip — for betting
  21. last — to go on
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. chip — to eat
  24. press — a publisher

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