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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: cabinet · ball · straw · race · wax · squash · court · firm

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. race — humankind
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. court — for sport
  7. firm — steady
  8. race — the arms race
  9. firm — decided
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. squash — to crush
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wax — to grow
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. court — of a king
  16. race — a contest
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. squash — the sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. court — of law
  22. firm — a company
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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