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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pass — a permit
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spring — of water
  9. charge — a price
  10. spring — the season
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. degree — an amount
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — in control
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. degree — temperature
  20. degree — from a university
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wax — to grow
  24. coach — a trainer

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