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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. ball — a dance
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. prune — to trim
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. court — of law
  8. foot — a measure
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. degree — from a university
  12. court — for sport
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mine — for digging
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wax — to grow
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. degree — temperature
  23. prune — to trim
  24. ball — a great time

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