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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. court — of a king
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — for catching
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. snap — to click
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wax — to grow
  16. court — for sport
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wake — a trail
  21. court — of law
  22. face — to confront
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wind — to turn a key

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