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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: wax · staff · bowl · cue · court · suit · squash · last

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. staff — employees
  5. cue — a hint
  6. last — to go on
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. last — finally
  9. suit — in cards
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. court — for sport
  13. squash — the sport
  14. cue — a signal
  15. suit — clothes
  16. staff — a stick
  17. court — of law
  18. last — final
  19. cue — for pool
  20. suit — to fit
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. staff — employees
  24. wax — in the ear

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