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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. field — a subject
  3. court — of law
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. march — the month
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. object — an aim
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. march — the month
  14. object — a thing
  15. court — of a king
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. field — for sport
  20. march — music
  21. wax — to grow
  22. field — farmland
  23. court — for sport
  24. bowl — to roll

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