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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. court — of a king
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. march — music
  8. squash — the sport
  9. march — the month
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. wax — to grow
  16. court — for sport
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. court — of law
  22. toast — bread
  23. squash — to crush
  24. march — the month

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