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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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Word bank
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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: wax · court · rule · rock · key · hand · pop · safe

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. court — for sport
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. key — for a lock
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. court — of law
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. rule — a law
  14. court — of a king
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. hand — help
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rock — a stone
  19. key — in music
  20. pop — music
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. hand — in cards
  24. rock — music

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