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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wax — to grow
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. vault — a safe
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. court — for sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. track — a path
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. court — of a king
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kid — child
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. court — of law
  16. bass — the fish
  17. kid — to tease
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pitch — completely
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bass — low music

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