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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lie — to recline
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rest — a break
  5. fork — in a road
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rash — a series
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rash — hasty
  12. court — of a king
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. squash — to crush
  15. rest — what's left
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. court — of law
  18. rest — what's left
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. squash — the sport

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