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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. game — a match
  3. dip — to sink
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. kid — child
  6. court — of a king
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. court — for sport
  10. kid — to tease
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. last — finally
  17. last — to go on
  18. court — of law
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. last — final
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wake — a trail

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