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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. bulb — for light
  4. can — a tin
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. game — wild animals
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. kid — to tease
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. bulb — for light
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wax — to grow
  16. game — a match
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. kid — child
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. staff — a stick
  23. court — of a king
  24. dip — a sauce

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