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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. vault — a safe
  3. bass — low music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mark — a grade
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — a match
  11. court — of a king
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. court — for sport
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. court — of law
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bass — the fish
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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