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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. game — a match
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. vault — a safe
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mark — a grade
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. sharp — clever
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. pass — a permit

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