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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. vault — a safe
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. cue — for pool
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. hand — help
  19. pit — a hole
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bass — low music
  22. pit — in a race
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bass — the fish

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