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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. wax — to grow
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. pit — in a race
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. drill — the tool
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bat — the animal
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pit — a hole
  24. drill — army training

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