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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. pound — a weight
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. object — an aim
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. kid — to tease
  12. sharp — clever
  13. court — of law
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wax — to grow
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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