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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. court — for sport
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. key — in music
  5. hand — in cards
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. season — in sport
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. key — for a lock
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. ball — a great time
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. key — the most important part
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wax — to grow
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. ball — a dance
  19. season — of the year
  20. court — of a king
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. court — of law
  23. hand — help
  24. bowl — to roll

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