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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rest — a break
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. court — of a king
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. rest — what's left
  12. wax — to grow
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rest — what's left
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. board — to get on
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. board — a committee
  24. court — for sport

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