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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. court — for sport
  2. can — a tin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. wax — to grow
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. can — a tin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. court — of law
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — of a king
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mug — a face
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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