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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. charge — a price
  4. squash — to crush
  5. kid — child
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. charge — in control
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. squash — the sport
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. charge — electricity
  18. court — of a king
  19. pass — a permit
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bank — for money
  24. court — of law

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