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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. spell — letters
  5. key — in music
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pound — a weight
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. track — a path
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. face — to point toward
  17. vault — a safe
  18. track — a song
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. track — to keep track
  22. spell — a short time
  23. key — the most important part
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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