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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. vault — a safe
  4. shower — rain
  5. race — humankind
  6. charge — electricity
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. field — farmland
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. field — for sport
  13. race — the arms race
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. charge — in control
  17. wax — to grow
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. charge — a price
  21. field — a subject
  22. cue — for pool
  23. race — a contest
  24. shower — to wash

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