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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. face — to confront
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. vault — a safe
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pop — to visit
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. dip — to sink
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pop — music
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. face — to point toward
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wax — to grow
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. pop — soda
  21. field — for sport
  22. craft — a skill
  23. craft — boats
  24. dip — to dunk

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