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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. court — of law
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. court — for sport
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. net — for catching
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — in sport
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. net — after costs
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. drill — army training
  23. swing — to play on
  24. wax — in the ear

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