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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. last — finally
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. content — the amount
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. court — of a king
  11. last — final
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pound — a weight
  15. court — of law
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wax — to grow
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. dip — to sink
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. content — happy
  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