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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. key — in music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. key — the most important part
  6. court — for sport
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. tear — from crying
  10. prune — to trim
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. tear — to rip
  13. prune — to trim
  14. court — of a king
  15. wax — to grow
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pop — soda
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — a permit
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — to visit

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