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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. race — a contest
  4. lean — thin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mark — a trace
  9. toast — bread
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mark — a grade
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. race — humankind
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. bound — tied together
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. wax — to grow
  19. race — the arms race
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bound — certain
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bound — obliged

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