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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mark — a trace
  3. tear — from crying
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. court — of law
  7. mark — a grade
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. court — for sport
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bore — to tire
  21. root — of a word
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. tear — to rip

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