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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. court — of a king
  6. fall — to drop
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. court — of law
  10. dip — to sink
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mine — for digging
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. fall — the season
  20. stand — to bear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wax — to grow

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