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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: cell · court · pit · scale · wax · ground · suit · wake

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. suit — in cards
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. court — of a king
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. scale — in music
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wax — to grow
  12. scale — size or range
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. ground — a position
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ground — crushed
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cell — a phone
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cell — in biology
  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