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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. suit — to fit
  4. content — the amount
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. suit — in cards
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. object — a thing
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wax — to grow
  12. court — for sport
  13. sharp — clever
  14. court — of law
  15. suit — clothes
  16. object — to protest
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. content — happy
  19. object — an aim
  20. pitch — completely
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. court — of a king

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