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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. rest — a break
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rest — what's left
  9. court — of law
  10. track — a path
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. can — a tin
  14. game — a match
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. track — a song
  18. wax — to grow
  19. court — for sport
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. can — a tin
  22. plane — a tool
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rest — what's left

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