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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. court — of law
  4. pit — in a race
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. root — of a plant
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wax — to grow
  9. court — for sport
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. root — of a word
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. key — in music
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — the most important part
  19. root — the cause
  20. court — of a king
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wound — an injury
  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