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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: court · clip · wax · season · suit · bore · mug · game

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bore — to drill
  8. suit — clothes
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. clip — to cut
  11. game — a match
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. season — in sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. bore — to tire
  18. suit — to fit
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. clip — a video
  21. mug — a cup
  22. season — of the year
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wax — in the ear

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