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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · lie · key · shower · vault · racket · court · wax

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. shower — to wash
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. key — in music
  7. key — for a lock
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. court — of a king
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. court — of law
  18. key — the most important part
  19. vault — a safe
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. shower — rain
  23. court — for sport
  24. wax — for sculpting

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