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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. club — for golf
  4. wax — to grow
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — for dancing
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. snap — to click
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. club — a group
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. kid — to tease

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