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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · chair · nail · root · game · wax · can · court

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. court — for sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. snap — to click
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. game — a match
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. root — of a word
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. court — of a king
  15. root — the cause
  16. chair — a leader
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. game — wild animals
  20. root — of a plant
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wax — to grow
  23. court — of law
  24. can — a tin

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