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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: present · kick · court · cap · stock · rest · fine · wax

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stock — shares
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. present — a gift
  10. cap — of ice
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rest — a break
  13. court — of a king
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cap — a lid
  16. stock — goods
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — high quality
  20. court — for sport
  21. kick — in football
  22. present — there
  23. present — the time now
  24. rest — what's left

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