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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mate — to breed
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. staff — a stick
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mate — a partner
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — for sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. staff — employees
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. court — of a king
  24. racket — for tennis

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