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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. can — to be able to
  3. court — of a king
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kid — child
  10. court — of law
  11. fine — all right
  12. court — for sport
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mark — a grade
  15. can — a tin
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mark — a trace
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. can — a tin

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