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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. mark — a trace
  5. court — for sport
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mark — a grade
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. court — of law
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stock — goods
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. stock — shares
  23. court — of a king
  24. fine — all right

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