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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wax — to grow
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. toast — bread
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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