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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. season — of the year
  3. court — of a king
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. craft — a skill
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fork — in a road
  11. season — in sport
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. tube — a container
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. craft — boats
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. court — for sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. court — of law

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