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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. court — for sport
  3. mark — a grade
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rest — a break
  9. scale — in music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rule — a law
  15. court — of a king
  16. chair — a leader
  17. net — for catching
  18. rule — government
  19. court — of law
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. net — in sport
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. net — after costs

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