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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 120 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. court — of a king
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. net — for catching
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wax — to grow
  9. fall — the season
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lean — thin
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. court — of law
  17. chip — for betting
  18. charge — a price
  19. net — in sport
  20. charge — in control
  21. foot — a measure
  22. net — after costs
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wax — in the ear

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