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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rest — a break
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. rest — what's left
  6. content — the amount
  7. court — of law
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. mug — to rob
  11. rest — what's left
  12. content — happy
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wax — to grow
  18. mug — a face
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mug — a cup
  21. board — to get on
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. saw — the tool
  24. board — a committee

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