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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  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 — of law
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rash — hasty
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. scale — size or range
  6. court — of a king
  7. race — a contest
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rash — a series
  12. fall — to drop
  13. race — humankind
  14. scale — in music
  15. fall — the season
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bound — certain
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. court — for sport
  23. wax — to grow
  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