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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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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: ground · vault · pit · cue · bowl · wax · content · court

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. wax — to grow
  3. cue — a hint
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. court — of a king
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. ground — crushed
  9. vault — a safe
  10. content — the amount
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. content — happy
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cue — for pool
  16. court — of law
  17. ground — a position
  18. court — for sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cue — a signal

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