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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. roll — a cake
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rest — a break
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. roll — a list
  14. rest — what's left
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. land — to come down
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. land — a country
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wax — in the ear

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