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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 · craft · present · drill · capital · rule · ball · wax

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. present — there
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. present — a gift
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rule — a law
  8. court — for sport
  9. drill — army training
  10. craft — a skill
  11. present — the time now
  12. court — of law
  13. drill — the tool
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. capital — money
  16. craft — boats
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rule — government
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wax — to grow
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. capital — a city
  24. court — of a king

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