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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. vault — a safe
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. cue — a signal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. wax — to grow
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. roll — a list
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. cue — a hint
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. roll — a cake
  23. cue — for pool
  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