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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. race — a contest
  6. wax — to grow
  7. press — to push
  8. drill — army training
  9. race — the arms race
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. club — for golf
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. club — a group
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. drill — a practice
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. drill — the tool
  23. press — newspapers
  24. race — humankind

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