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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. track — a path
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. scale — in music
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. vault — a safe
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. track — a song
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. scale — size or range
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a match
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — to grow
  24. hide — to keep secret

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