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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bore — to tire
  4. court — of law
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wax — to grow
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bore — to drill
  24. mate — a partner

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