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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. tear — to rip
  3. club — for dancing
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. wax — to grow
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. row — a line
  10. court — for sport
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. club — a group
  13. deal — to handle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. club — for golf
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. court — of a king
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — from crying
  22. court — of law
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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