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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of law
  5. can — a tin
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. court — for sport
  10. season — in sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. track — to keep track
  13. march — music
  14. deal — to handle
  15. court — of a king
  16. track — a path
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wound — an injury
  20. march — the month
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. track — a song
  23. season — of the year
  24. wax — to grow

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