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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — a safe
  9. march — the month
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wax — to grow
  13. march — music
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. swing — to play on
  20. ground — a position
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. march — the month
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rush — hurry

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