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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kid — child
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. court — of a king
  9. capital — money
  10. court — for sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. roll — a list
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. date — the fruit
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. roll — a cake
  18. court — of law
  19. capital — a city
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. kid — to tease

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