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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — for sport
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. chip — for betting
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. drill — army training
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. court — of a king
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chip — to eat
  22. court — of law
  23. drill — the tool
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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