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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. court — of law
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to tire
  8. court — of a king
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. present — a gift
  13. wax — to grow
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bore — to drill
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. present — there
  20. race — humankind
  21. present — the time now
  22. court — for sport
  23. pass — a permit
  24. race — a contest

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