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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. wax — to grow
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — of law
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. court — for sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. key — in music
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — clothes
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. court — of a king

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