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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 120 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: sharp · leaves · court · firm · pit · face · hand · wax

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. face — to confront
  3. firm — a company
  4. hand — help
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. face — to point toward
  8. firm — decided
  9. face — part of the head
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pit — in a race
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. firm — steady
  18. court — for sport
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. court — of law
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wax — to grow
  24. court — of a king

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