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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. court — of a king
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. key — in music
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lean — to bend
  9. spell — letters
  10. wake — a trail
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ground — a position
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. face — to point toward
  21. ground — crushed
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. face — to confront

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