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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. snap — to click
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bound — tied together
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bound — certain
  16. season — in sport
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. kid — child
  24. pitcher — a jug

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