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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. fine — all right
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. court — of law
  5. lean — thin
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. lean — to bend
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wax — to grow
  12. court — of a king
  13. plane — a tool
  14. race — the arms race
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. race — humankind
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fine — high quality
  21. hand — help
  22. court — for sport
  23. fine — a penalty
  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