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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · court · content · pitch · saw · pass · last · cue

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. saw — the tool
  3. last — finally
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pass — a permit
  6. cue — for pool
  7. last — to go on
  8. court — for sport
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. last — final
  11. content — happy
  12. cue — a hint
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. court — of law
  16. content — the amount
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cue — a signal

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