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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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468
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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. scale — in music
  4. rest — a break
  5. wax — to grow
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rest — what's left
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. board — a committee
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. court — of a king
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. court — of law
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. scale — size or range
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pit — in a race
  19. court — for sport
  20. board — to get on
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pit — a hole

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