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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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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. club — for dancing
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. wax — to grow
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. content — the amount
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. club — a group
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. club — for golf
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. content — happy
  18. mine — for digging
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rock — a stone
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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