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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: rush · court · track · game · cell · nail · wax · cap

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. cap — of ice
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — a path
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. game — a match
  14. cap — a hat
  15. track — a song
  16. wax — to grow
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — to keep track
  19. court — for sport
  20. cap — a lid
  21. court — of law
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. cell — in biology

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