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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. court — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. key — in music
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rest — what's left
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. court — of a king
  13. game — a match
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rest — a break
  17. roll — a list
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. key — for a lock
  20. roll — a cake
  21. court — of law
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rest — what's left
  24. key — the most important part

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