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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rash — hasty
  3. firm — a company
  4. degree — from a university
  5. rash — a series
  6. court — for sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. firm — steady
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. band — a ring
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. band — a music group
  16. degree — an amount
  17. court — of law
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. firm — decided

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