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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  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. deal — to handle
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. fine — all right
  5. cold — an illness
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. vault — a safe
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. march — the month
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. march — the month
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. march — music
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. wax — to grow
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  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