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

Word bank: cap · court · ruler · march · deal · wax · bat · suit

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — of law
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bat — the animal
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. suit — to fit
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wax — to grow
  19. deal — to handle
  20. suit — in cards
  21. court — of a king
  22. suit — clothes
  23. court — for sport
  24. bat — in an idiom

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