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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. court — of a king
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. court — for sport
  8. file — a document
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. file — a tool
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. court — of law
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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