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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 120 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: wind · rush · pitch · cap · rule · court · wax · bore

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — completely
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — hurry
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. court — of law
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bore — to tire
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. rule — government
  21. court — for sport
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rule — a law
  24. bore — to drill

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