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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hand — help
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. last — finally
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. last — to go on
  18. rush — hurry
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bound — tied together
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. last — final

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