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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cap — a hat
  3. chair — a leader
  4. track — a path
  5. court — of law
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. track — a song
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pass — a permit
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. wax — to grow
  23. court — for sport
  24. track — to keep track

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