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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cell — a phone
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rule — a law
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. court — of a king
  11. board — to get on
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cell — in biology
  14. season — of the year
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mug — a cup
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. board — a committee
  21. rule — government
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. season — in sport
  24. tear — to rip

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