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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. bound — certain
  4. march — the month
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — happy
  10. cold — an illness
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fine — all right
  13. wax — to grow
  14. fine — high quality
  15. bound — tied together
  16. content — the amount
  17. rock — music
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cold — not warm
  21. march — the month
  22. bound — obliged
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. march — music

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