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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. present — there
  6. content — happy
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. wax — to grow
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. content — the amount
  12. capital — a city
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. perch — the fish
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. capital — money
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kick — in football
  20. present — a gift
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. present — the time now
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. capital — a big letter

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