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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chest — a box
  3. rock — music
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. chest — of your body
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. march — the month
  8. chest — of your body
  9. land — a country
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bass — low music
  16. march — music
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rock — a stone
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. march — the month
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. vault — a safe

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