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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 116 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 · wax · court · ball · ruler · board · spring · ground

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spring — a coil
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wax — to grow
  5. board — a committee
  6. ground — crushed
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. court — of law
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. suit — to fit
  13. suit — clothes
  14. board — to get on
  15. ground — a position
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. ball — a great time
  20. suit — in cards
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. ball — a dance
  23. court — of a king
  24. ruler — for measuring

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