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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — in geometry
  2. bound — certain
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rash — a series
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. wax — to grow
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bound — obliged
  11. court — of a king
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. plane — a tool
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bound — tied together
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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