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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. court — of law
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mark — a trace
  8. craft — a skill
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wax — to grow
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. court — of a king
  16. plane — a tool
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. craft — boats
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. cell — in a prison

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