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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. charge — electricity
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. charge — in control
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. capital — a city
  7. race — humankind
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. file — a document
  10. wax — to grow
  11. race — the arms race
  12. file — a line of people
  13. craft — a skill
  14. charge — a price
  15. race — a contest
  16. deal — to handle
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. craft — boats
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. file — a tool
  24. deal — an agreement

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