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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.

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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: wax · temple · charge · lie · arm · court · wind · rule

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. charge — electricity
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. court — of a king
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rule — a law
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. charge — a price
  17. rule — government
  18. charge — in control
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lie — to recline
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. court — of law
  24. temple — side of the head

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