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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. clip — a video
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cue — a signal
  12. season — of the year
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wound — an injury
  17. season — in sport
  18. clip — to cut
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. race — a contest
  22. race — the arms race
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. season — to add flavour

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