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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. track — a path
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. roll — a cake
  7. track — to keep track
  8. roll — a list
  9. rash — a series
  10. spell — magic
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. snap — to click
  13. wax — to grow
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pit — a hole
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. rash — hasty
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. spell — letters
  24. pit — in a race

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