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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cue — for pool
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cue — a signal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. shower — to wash
  11. cue — a hint
  12. chip — to eat
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chip — for betting
  15. court — for sport
  16. wax — to grow
  17. shower — rain
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. degree — from a university
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. court — of law
  24. wax — in the ear

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