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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. clip — a video
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. fine — all right
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. charge — a price
  16. clip — to cut
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. court — of law
  22. charge — in control
  23. clip — for paper
  24. charge — electricity

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