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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — for sport
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — to grow
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. toast — bread
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. chip — for betting
  22. rule — government
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. fan — to cool the air

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