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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. court — of a king
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. court — of law
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pop — soda
  9. court — for sport
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. pop — to visit
  12. net — for catching
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — a trail
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. net — after costs
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. content — the amount
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. content — happy
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pop — music

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