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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. board — a committee
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. perch — the fish
  6. capital — a city
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. firm — decided
  16. race — humankind
  17. capital — money
  18. race — a contest
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. firm — a company
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. board — to get on
  24. wax — for sculpting

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