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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: cell · kick · face · wax · season · pass · fine · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. season — of the year
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. court — of a king
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. face — to point toward
  17. wax — to grow
  18. court — of law
  19. cell — in biology
  20. face — to confront
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. kick — in football
  24. season — in sport

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