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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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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: wax · snap · court · rule · kick · stand · saw · season

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. court — of a king
  3. season — of the year
  4. kick — in football
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. rule — government
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. snap — to click
  9. saw — the tool
  10. stand — to bear
  11. court — for sport
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rule — a law
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. saw — the tool
  18. court — of law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. season — in sport

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