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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. wax — to grow
  4. ground — crushed
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. court — of law
  7. row — to paddle
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. ground — a position
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. vault — a safe
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chair — a leader
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. row — a line
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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