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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. content — happy
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. fine — all right
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. content — the amount
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. row — to paddle
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bore — to drill
  18. swing — in golf
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bore — to tire
  22. row — a line
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. swing — music

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