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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. mug — to rob
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mug — a cup
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cap — of ice
  16. squash — to crush
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. court — of law
  21. mug — a face
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cap — a hat
  24. court — for sport

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