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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. file — a tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. file — a document
  7. court — of law
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fork — in a road
  13. band — a music group
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. court — for sport
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. band — a ring

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