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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. present — there
  3. track — a song
  4. key — for a lock
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. track — to keep track
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. key — the most important part
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. fine — all right
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wax — to grow
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fine — high quality
  21. track — a path
  22. key — in music
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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