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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. net — in sport
  4. vault — a safe
  5. row — to paddle
  6. key — in music
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. capital — money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — for catching
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — the season
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. net — after costs
  17. fall — to drop
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wax — to grow
  21. saw — the tool
  22. key — for a lock
  23. capital — a city
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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