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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. fine — all right
  3. land — ground
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. court — of law
  6. bear — the animal
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. land — to come down
  11. court — of a king
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. land — a country
  15. fine — high quality
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bear — the animal
  18. track — a path
  19. court — for sport
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. vault — a safe

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