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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. object — an aim
  3. court — of law
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. object — to protest
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. object — a thing
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — of a king
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wax — to grow
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. staff — employees

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