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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wax — to grow
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. sharp — clever
  5. season — in sport
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. pass — a permit
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. court — of law
  16. kick — in football
  17. season — of the year
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wax — in the ear

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