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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: wax · mark · nail · court · roll · charge · clip · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pit — a hole
  4. court — of a king
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. roll — a list
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. court — for sport
  9. clip — a video
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mark — a grade
  12. court — of law
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pit — in a race
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. clip — to cut
  18. wax — to grow
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. clip — for paper
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — a price
  24. roll — a cake

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