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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. sharp — clever
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. press — a publisher
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. land — a country
  10. capital — a city
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. press — to push
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. capital — money
  18. wax — to grow
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. land — to come down
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. press — newspapers
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. land — ground

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