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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rash — hasty
  4. court — of law
  5. club — for golf
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bound — certain
  8. club — for dancing
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. face — to confront
  13. key — in music
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — obliged
  16. court — of a king
  17. club — a group
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rash — a series
  22. court — for sport
  23. game — wild animals
  24. wax — for sculpting

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