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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. present — a gift
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wax — to grow
  5. track — to keep track
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. court — of a king
  11. season — in sport
  12. court — of law
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. season — of the year
  16. degree — temperature
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — a song
  19. degree — from a university
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. degree — an amount
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pass — a permit
  24. track — a path

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