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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 120 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. vault — a safe
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. staff — employees
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. staff — a stick
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. pit — a hole
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. staff — employees
  23. wax — for sculpting
  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