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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. race — a contest
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. clip — to cut
  8. band — a ring
  9. current — happening now
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — clever
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. current — electric
  16. clip — a video
  17. band — a music group
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. clip — for paper
  20. wax — to grow
  21. current — of water
  22. race — the arms race
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. band — a rubber band

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