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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. game — wild animals
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. net — in sport
  11. scale — in music
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. net — after costs
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wax — to grow
  18. game — a match
  19. vault — a safe
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mug — a face
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. mug — a cup

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