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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: coach · court · kid · arm · cue · date · safe · wax

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kid — child
  4. court — of a king
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — of law
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. kid — to tease
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cue — a hint
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. date — the fruit
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a signal
  24. court — for sport

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