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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. court — of law
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bear — the animal
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bear — the animal
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. press — to push
  15. court — of a king
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. wax — to grow
  18. craft — a skill
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. vault — a safe
  22. craft — boats
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. court — for sport

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