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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. swing — music
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. swing — to play on
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. season — of the year
  12. wax — to grow
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. vault — a safe
  15. pound — a weight
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. swing — in golf
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. season — in sport
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wax — for sculpting

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