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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. track — a path
  4. cap — a hat
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. court — for sport
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. current — of water
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. cap — of ice
  12. current — happening now
  13. cap — a lid
  14. current — electric
  15. track — a song
  16. court — of a king
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. court — of law
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. track — to keep track

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