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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. race — humankind
  3. rest — what's left
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. rest — a break
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rest — what's left
  8. race — the arms race
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. cap — a hat
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wax — to grow
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. march — the month
  23. snap — to click
  24. race — a contest

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