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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. game — a match
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. last — final
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wax — to grow
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. band — a music group
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. last — finally
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. band — a ring
  22. last — to go on
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. game — a kind of play

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