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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. key — for a lock
  6. court — of a king
  7. wax — to grow
  8. key — in music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. shower — to wash
  11. field — a subject
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. field — farmland
  14. ground — a position
  15. shower — rain
  16. lie — to recline
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. key — the most important part
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. ground — the earth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. court — for sport

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