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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. track — a song
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cold — not warm
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chip — for betting
  17. track — a path
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pop — music
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. vault — a safe
  22. pop — soda
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. chip — to eat

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