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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. swing — in golf
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spell — magic
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. swing — to play on
  8. spell — letters
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — a hat
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cap — of ice
  15. swing — music
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. scale — size or range
  21. spell — a short time
  22. vault — a safe
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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