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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. spell — a short time
  4. present — the time now
  5. face — part of the head
  6. present — a gift
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. march — the month
  9. present — there
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spell — magic
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. face — to confront
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. wax — to grow
  16. court — for sport
  17. spell — letters
  18. wound — an injury
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wound — an injury

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