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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: court · stock · game · temple · mate · wax · roll · wake

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wax — to grow
  3. court — of law
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a cake
  6. court — for sport
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. court — of a king
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stock — shares
  14. game — a match
  15. roll — a list
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. mate — a partner

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