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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. staff — employees
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. vault — a safe
  8. ball — a dance
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. court — for sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — of a king
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. staff — employees
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. staff — a stick
  18. wax — to grow
  19. court — of law
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — of the year
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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