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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. court — of law
  3. fine — high quality
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. chest — of your body
  6. last — to go on
  7. craft — boats
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mark — a grade
  10. last — finally
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fine — all right
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mark — a trace
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. craft — a skill
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. wax — to grow
  21. court — of a king
  22. chest — a box
  23. last — final
  24. court — for sport

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