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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. kick — in football
  7. track — to keep track
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. hand — help
  14. bass — the fish
  15. track — a path
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fine — high quality
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wax — to grow
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. fine — all right
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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