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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wax — to grow
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — a partner
  7. court — of law
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — of a king
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mate — a friend
  12. last — finally
  13. mate — to breed
  14. last — final
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. court — for sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — a match
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. game — wild animals

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