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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: suit · drill · stock · sharp · game · wax · scale · court

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. sharp — clever
  4. suit — clothes
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. suit — in cards
  9. court — of a king
  10. wax — to grow
  11. game — wild animals
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. game — a match
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. scale — in music
  17. stock — shares
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. stock — goods
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. suit — to fit

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