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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. court — of a king
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — for sport
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stock — goods
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. present — there
  12. last — finally
  13. can — to be able to
  14. pitch — completely
  15. can — a tin
  16. last — final
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. present — a gift
  19. stock — shares
  20. present — the time now
  21. mate — to breed
  22. wax — to grow
  23. court — of law
  24. last — to go on

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