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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. court — of a king
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. court — for sport
  6. land — to come down
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rule — government
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. rule — a law
  11. rest — a break
  12. land — ground
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. court — of law
  16. wax — to grow
  17. land — a country
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bass — low music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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