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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. firm — a company
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. file — a tool
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. file — a document
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. file — a line of people
  11. net — for catching
  12. firm — decided
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wax — to grow
  15. court — for sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. net — in sport
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. firm — steady
  22. court — of a king
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. sharp — clever

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