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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: stick · court · wake · wax · land · chip · key · hide

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. land — a country
  3. key — for a lock
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wax — to grow
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. land — to come down
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. key — in music
  12. land — ground
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — of law
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. chip — for betting
  19. key — the most important part
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. chip — to eat
  24. wake — a trail

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