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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: bay · mark · toast · court · temple · deal · wax · capital

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. capital — money
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. capital — a city
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. court — of a king
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mark — a grade
  10. court — of law
  11. mark — a trace
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. court — for sport
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. toast — bread
  24. capital — a big letter

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