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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. court — for sport
  3. cold — not warm
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. court — of law
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. cold — an illness
  8. court — of a king
  9. track — a song
  10. roll — a list
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. track — a path
  13. roll — a cake
  14. lean — to bend
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. lean — thin
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wax — to grow
  20. track — to keep track
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mouse — for a computer

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