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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. net — for catching
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. net — in sport
  10. club — a group
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. net — after costs
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. lie — to recline
  16. club — for dancing
  17. wax — to grow
  18. saw — the tool
  19. ground — a position
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — a safe
  24. ground — the earth

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