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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. staff — employees
  2. wax — to grow
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. last — final
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. last — to go on
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. staff — a stick
  13. last — finally
  14. court — for sport
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. mate — a partner
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. staff — employees
  23. mate — a friend
  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