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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. object — to protest
  3. vault — a safe
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — in control
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. wax — to grow
  9. charge — a price
  10. chest — of your body
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. capital — money
  14. march — the month
  15. mark — a trace
  16. capital — a city
  17. mark — a grade
  18. chest — of your body
  19. object — an aim
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. object — a thing
  22. march — music
  23. chest — a box
  24. march — the month

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