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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rock — music
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pass — a permit
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — a stone
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. vault — a safe
  15. game — a match
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. ball — a round shape

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