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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 116 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.

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: ruler · court · game · bat · club · file · wax · mug

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. court — of a king
  6. file — a tool
  7. game — a match
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. court — of law
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — for dancing
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. file — a line of people
  16. mug — a face
  17. game — wild animals
  18. court — for sport
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. club — a group
  21. file — a document
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bat — the animal

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