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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. spell — magic
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. track — a path
  4. mug — a cup
  5. spell — letters
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wax — to grow
  9. spell — a short time
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. track — a song
  13. mug — to rob
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cell — in biology
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mug — a face
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  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