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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. fine — high quality
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. race — humankind
  6. game — a match
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. track — a song
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. track — a path
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. track — to keep track
  17. fork — in a road
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. wax — to grow
  21. fine — all right
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. race — the arms race
  24. race — a contest

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