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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 124 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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mug — a cup
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rule — a law
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. mug — to rob
  10. court — of a king
  11. firm — steady
  12. court — for sport
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chip — for betting
  15. rule — government
  16. field — a subject
  17. firm — a company
  18. field — for sport
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. court — of law
  22. mug — a face
  23. firm — decided
  24. field — farmland

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