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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. court — of a king
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wind — moving air
  10. court — of law
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. last — finally
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. last — final
  15. court — for sport
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. last — to go on
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wind — to turn a key

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