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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bass — low music
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bound — obliged
  9. court — for sport
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. kid — child
  14. bound — certain
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. sharp — clever
  17. court — of law
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bass — the fish
  22. kid — to tease
  23. court — of a king
  24. bore — gave birth

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