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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 124 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. race — a contest
  3. court — of law
  4. wax — to grow
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. court — of a king
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. date — the fruit
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. court — for sport
  11. board — to get on
  12. content — the amount
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. content — happy
  16. board — a committee
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. net — after costs
  20. race — the arms race
  21. net — in sport
  22. race — humankind
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pop — music

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