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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. foot — a measure
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. ground — the earth
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. race — the arms race
  7. ground — crushed
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bass — low music
  12. spell — letters
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. race — a contest
  15. spell — a short time
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. bass — the fish
  19. ground — a position
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. spell — magic
  22. vault — a safe
  23. race — humankind
  24. sharp — exactly

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