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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. mate — to breed
  7. court — of a king
  8. row — a line
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ground — the earth
  17. mate — a friend
  18. court — of law
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — crushed
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mate — a partner
  24. ground — a position

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