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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. board — to get on
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wax — to grow
  9. hand — help
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cue — a signal
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rule — government
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. ball — a great time
  18. vault — a safe
  19. board — a committee
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cue — for pool
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ball — a dance
  24. trunk — of a tree

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