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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. game — a match
  5. court — of law
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. game — wild animals
  9. tear — from crying
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. tear — from crying
  17. scale — in music
  18. court — for sport
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pit — in a race
  24. patient — a sick person

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