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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 116 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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rash — hasty
  8. tube — a container
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tube — the underground
  11. cap — a hat
  12. fine — high quality
  13. court — of a king
  14. rock — music
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cap — a lid
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cap — of ice

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