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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 124 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wax — to grow
  3. staff — employees
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. staff — a stick
  6. court — for sport
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. cue — a hint
  15. court — of law
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. cue — a signal
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. prune — the fruit

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