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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: race · court · wax · wake · chest · rule

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. rule — a law
  3. chest — a box
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. court — of a king
  10. race — a contest
  11. chest — of your body
  12. race — humankind
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. court — of law
  15. rule — government
  16. chest — of your body
  17. court — for sport
  18. wake — before a funeral

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