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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 120 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. scale — size or range
  3. court — of law
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. pass — a permit
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wax — to grow
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. scale — in music
  13. net — after costs
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. court — for sport
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — in sport
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. court — of a king
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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