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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · lean · race · cabinet · mate · game · wax · date

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. court — for sport
  3. game — a match
  4. lean — thin
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. wax — to grow
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mate — to breed
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. race — a contest
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. game — wild animals

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