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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · court · wax · toast · march · fall

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — for sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. fall — to drop
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. fall — the season
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. march — the month
  14. court — of law
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mine — for digging
  18. march — music

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