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

Word bank: deal · wax · racket · pit · rash · vault · bay · snap

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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. rash — hasty
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rash — a series
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pit — a hole
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. wax — to grow
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to click
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pit — in a race

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