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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bore — to tire
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. fine — high quality
  9. cue — for pool
  10. bore — to drill
  11. band — a ring
  12. spell — letters
  13. band — a music group
  14. spell — magic
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. fine — all right
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spell — a short time
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cue — a hint
  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