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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. hand — in cards
  3. court — of law
  4. key — in music
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. hand — help
  11. court — of a king
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. race — the arms race
  15. key — the most important part
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. key — for a lock
  18. race — a contest
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wax — to grow
  22. court — for sport
  23. game — a match
  24. race — humankind

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