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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. content — happy
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — from a university
  5. suit — clothes
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. ball — a dance
  10. board — a committee
  11. degree — temperature
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. capital — money
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. capital — a city
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. degree — an amount
  18. content — the amount
  19. ball — a great time
  20. board — to get on
  21. suit — to fit
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. wax — to grow

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