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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. last — finally
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. deal — to handle
  10. mug — to rob
  11. game — wild animals
  12. court — of law
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — final
  15. mark — a grade
  16. key — in music
  17. game — a match
  18. key — for a lock
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. court — for sport
  21. mug — a face
  22. key — the most important part
  23. mark — a trace
  24. court — of a king

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