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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bat — the animal
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mark — a trace
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cue — a hint
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cue — for pool
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. hand — help
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wax — in the ear

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