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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. court — of law
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cap — a hat
  8. court — for sport
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wax — to grow
  13. content — happy
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bound — obliged
  16. cap — a lid
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. spell — magic
  22. court — of a king
  23. ground — a position
  24. spell — letters

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