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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: wax · date · racket · net · temple · capital · court · fall

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. court — of law
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. net — in sport
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. capital — a city
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. capital — money
  12. court — for sport
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. net — for catching
  15. court — of a king
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fall — the season
  18. date — the fruit
  19. net — after costs
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wax — to grow
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. fall — to drop
  24. racket — for tennis

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