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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wax — to grow
  3. game — a match
  4. face — to point toward
  5. degree — temperature
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. face — part of the head
  10. spell — letters
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. face — to confront
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — a safe
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. degree — an amount
  22. charge — electricity
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. degree — from a university

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