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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. key — for a lock
  6. court — of a king
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. key — in music
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. track — to keep track
  15. key — the most important part
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wax — to grow
  18. court — of law
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. sharp — clever
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. court — for sport
  24. sharp — with an edge

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