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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. tube — the underground
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. suit — to fit
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. court — of a king
  10. chest — of your body
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. tube — a container
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. chair — a leader
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. suit — in cards
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. court — for sport
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. court — of law
  24. wax — to grow

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