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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. last — to go on
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. face — to confront
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — for sport
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. face — to point toward
  13. band — a ring
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. court — of law
  18. band — a music group
  19. wax — to grow
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. face — part of the head
  22. last — final
  23. court — of a king
  24. last — finally

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