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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. bound — obliged
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bound — tied together
  12. vault — a safe
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bound — certain
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. game — a match
  19. rush — hurry
  20. deal — to handle
  21. capital — a city
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. capital — money
  24. capital — a big letter

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