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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 120 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: racket · plane · suit · court · rush · cue · last · wax

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. suit — in cards
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. last — finally
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. last — to go on
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wax — to grow
  14. suit — to fit
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. court — of law
  18. rush — hurry
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. rush — to hurry

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