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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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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: arm · mate · chip · court · kid · pound · wax · rock

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. court — for sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. kid — child
  5. mate — a partner
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. court — of a king
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. chip — for betting
  11. court — of law
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mate — a friend
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. wax — to grow
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. pound — a weight
  23. rock — music
  24. wax — for sculpting

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