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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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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 · wax · stick · rest · degree · cap · date · deal

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. cap — a lid
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. degree — from a university
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rest — a break
  9. cap — of ice
  10. court — for sport
  11. degree — temperature
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. rest — what's left
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wax — to grow

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