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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. court — of law
  3. row — to paddle
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ball — a great time
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. court — of a king
  8. season — of the year
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. net — after costs
  11. row — a line
  12. chip — for betting
  13. season — in sport
  14. net — in sport
  15. ball — a dance
  16. court — for sport
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. net — for catching
  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