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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. kid — child
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. scale — in music
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. key — in music
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. dip — to sink
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. key — the most important part
  20. cue — a signal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. key — for a lock
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. vault — a safe

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