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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. chest — a box
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. field — a subject
  6. court — of law
  7. sharp — clever
  8. court — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. board — to get on
  14. can — a tin
  15. chest — of your body
  16. board — a committee
  17. can — a tin
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. field — for sport
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — to grow
  24. can — to be able to

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