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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. firm — decided
  3. capital — a city
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wax — to grow
  6. race — a contest
  7. can — a tin
  8. capital — money
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. firm — a company
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — humankind
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rush — hurry
  18. firm — steady

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