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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wax — to grow
  3. foot — a measure
  4. court — of a king
  5. drill — army training
  6. court — for sport
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. drill — the tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — a group
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. club — for dancing
  18. chest — of your body
  19. drill — a practice
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. chest — a box
  22. court — of law
  23. foot — the bottom
  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