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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. last — final
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. branch — a division
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. deal — to handle
  10. last — to go on
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fine — all right
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. last — finally
  21. pitch — completely
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. fine — high quality

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