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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: toast · jam · ground · wax · deal · court · mark · clip

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. court — for sport
  3. clip — to cut
  4. court — of law
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. deal — to handle
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ground — a position
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. toast — bread
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ground — crushed
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. court — of a king
  24. ground — the earth

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