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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mate — a partner
  3. face — to confront
  4. pit — in a race
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. face — to point toward
  8. vault — a safe
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mate — to breed
  15. game — a match
  16. pit — a hole
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — to handle
  24. mate — a friend

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