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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bass — the fish
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. vault — a safe
  12. charge — in control
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. wax — to grow
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — electricity
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. bass — low music
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. sharp — clever

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