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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. file — a line of people
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. file — a tool
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. file — a document
  15. rest — a break
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lie — to recline
  18. bat — the animal
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rest — what's left
  24. racket — for tennis

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