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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 120 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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wax — to grow
  4. court — for sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. court — of a king
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cap — a lid
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cap — a hat
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hand — help
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. court — of law
  24. wax — for sculpting

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