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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. court — of a king
  3. rock — music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. land — to come down
  9. cue — a hint
  10. last — to go on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. last — final
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. land — ground
  16. cue — for pool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. court — of law
  19. land — a country
  20. rock — a stone
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. court — for sport

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