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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. roll — a list
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mate — a partner
  10. roll — a cake
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mate — a friend
  14. vault — a safe
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wax — to grow
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. capital — money
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. calf — of the leg

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