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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. sharp — clever
  5. lie — to recline
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. wax — to grow
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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