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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. season — in sport
  4. wax — to grow
  5. court — for sport
  6. clip — to cut
  7. object — a thing
  8. court — of a king
  9. object — an aim
  10. vault — a safe
  11. season — of the year
  12. board — to get on
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. clip — a video
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. board — a committee
  20. court — of law
  21. clip — for paper
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. object — to protest
  24. wax — in the ear

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