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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bound — certain
  5. can — a tin
  6. clip — to cut
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. clip — a video
  9. bound — obliged
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. court — for sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. can — a tin
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. clip — for paper
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bound — tied together
  21. court — of law
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. can — to be able to
  24. wax — for sculpting

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