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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. court — of law
  3. wax — to grow
  4. court — of a king
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rash — a series
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. court — for sport
  13. rash — hasty
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. race — the arms race
  18. spell — magic
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. toast — bread
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. race — humankind
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. race — a contest

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