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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. key — for a lock
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. key — the most important part
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wound — an injury
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. key — in music
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. game — a match
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. game — wild animals
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. vault — a safe

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