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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. court — for sport
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. degree — an amount
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. game — a match
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. net — in sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. net — after costs
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. net — for catching
  23. wax — to grow
  24. court — of law

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