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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 116 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. suit — clothes
  3. court — for sport
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. spell — letters
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mate — to breed
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mate — a partner
  11. suit — in cards
  12. court — of law
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. court — of a king
  15. degree — temperature
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. kick — in football
  19. spell — a short time
  20. degree — an amount
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. spell — magic
  23. suit — to fit
  24. mate — a friend

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