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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. kid — child
  3. content — happy
  4. court — of a king
  5. wax — to grow
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. charge — a price
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. race — the arms race
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. charge — electricity
  13. race — humankind
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. race — a contest
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. court — for sport
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. kid — to tease
  21. charge — in control
  22. content — the amount
  23. court — of law
  24. wax — in the ear

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