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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. court — of law
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. court — for sport
  6. board — a committee
  7. rest — a break
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. content — happy
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. board — to get on
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wax — to grow
  15. rest — what's left
  16. hand — help
  17. content — the amount
  18. court — of a king
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. wax — for sculpting

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