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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wax — to grow
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. court — for sport
  8. can — to be able to
  9. court — of a king
  10. fall — to drop
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. can — a tin
  14. pit — a hole
  15. can — a tin
  16. fall — the season
  17. degree — from a university
  18. court — of law
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. degree — temperature
  21. pit — in a race
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. calf — a young animal

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