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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. spell — letters
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. vault — a safe
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. present — a gift
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. wax — to grow
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. present — the time now
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. present — there
  22. spell — magic
  23. stand — to bear
  24. spell — a short time

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