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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 116 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. field — farmland
  5. bulb — for light
  6. field — a subject
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. field — for sport
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pop — soda
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pop — music
  18. charge — a price
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bat — the animal
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. charge — in control
  24. wax — in the ear

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