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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: suit · court · pitcher · bat · kid · face · wax · bass

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — clothes
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. court — of a king
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bass — low music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. suit — in cards
  16. face — to confront
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. court — of law
  19. bat — the animal
  20. kid — child
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bass — the fish

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