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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. foot — a measure
  4. present — a gift
  5. court — for sport
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mark — a trace
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. present — the time now
  14. wax — to grow
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. court — of law
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. present — there
  23. mark — a grade
  24. wax — for sculpting

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