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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 116 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitch — completely
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. court — of law
  11. kid — child
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — in a race
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — for sport
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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