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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. fine — all right
  4. court — of law
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. court — for sport
  7. row — to paddle
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bat — the animal
  11. court — of a king
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. deal — to handle
  15. row — a line
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wax — to grow
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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