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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. race — a contest
  4. race — the arms race
  5. court — of a king
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pass — a permit
  8. fall — the season
  9. key — in music
  10. court — for sport
  11. wax — to grow
  12. race — humankind
  13. fall — to drop
  14. court — of law
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. content — the amount
  17. key — for a lock
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. key — the most important part
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wax — for sculpting

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