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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. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. vault — a safe
  3. mark — a grade
  4. game — a match
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. degree — from a university
  9. present — the time now
  10. root — of a plant
  11. mark — a trace
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. game — wild animals
  14. present — there
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. present — a gift
  18. root — of a word
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wax — to grow
  22. degree — temperature
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. root — the cause

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