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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. roll — a cake
  4. swing — in golf
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. net — after costs
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. net — in sport
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. ball — a great time
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. swing — music
  21. roll — a list
  22. net — for catching
  23. ball — a dance
  24. wax — to grow

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