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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. saw — the tool
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. season — of the year
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chair — a leader
  16. dip — to sink
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mate — to breed
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. season — in sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. hide — to keep secret

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