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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. vault — a safe
  5. roll — a list
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. board — a committee
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wax — to grow
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. game — a match
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. roll — a cake
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. date — the fruit

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