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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · key · hand · march · bowl · date · wax · arm

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. march — the month
  3. hand — help
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. march — the month
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. key — the most important part
  9. hand — in cards
  10. court — for sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. key — in music
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. court — of a king
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. march — music
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bowl — to roll

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