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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 120 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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. race — a contest
  5. key — the most important part
  6. wind — moving air
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. rash — a series
  13. wind — moving air
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cue — for pool
  16. race — humankind
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. key — in music
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wax — in the ear

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