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

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. pop — music
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. court — for sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. club — a group
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — what's left
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mate — to breed
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mug — a face
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mug — a cup
  17. drill — army training
  18. club — for golf
  19. mug — to rob
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rest — a break
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pop — soda
  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