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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cap — a lid
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. season — of the year
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. court — of law
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cell — in biology
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cap — of ice
  23. court — for sport
  24. season — in sport

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