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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. land — ground
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pop — music
  6. club — a group
  7. pop — to visit
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wax — to grow
  10. cap — a hat
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. club — for dancing
  13. land — a country
  14. club — for golf
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. land — to come down
  17. cap — of ice
  18. court — of law
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. cap — a lid
  23. pop — soda
  24. hide — to keep secret

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