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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: sharp · content · racket · vault · game · ground · current · wax

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. content — happy
  4. game — a match
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. content — the amount
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. sharp — clever
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. ground — the earth
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. wax — to grow
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — crushed
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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