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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. rule — government
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pop — music
  5. court — of law
  6. board — a committee
  7. rule — a law
  8. march — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. pop — soda
  11. pop — to visit
  12. wax — to grow
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. court — of a king
  20. rock — a stone
  21. court — for sport
  22. rock — music
  23. board — to get on
  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