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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wax — to grow
  5. game — a match
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. key — for a lock
  13. season — of the year
  14. vault — a safe
  15. season — in sport
  16. key — the most important part
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. key — in music
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pitch — completely

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