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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. land — a country
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. kid — child
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. land — to come down
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. kid — to tease
  20. land — ground
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wax — to grow

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