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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. race — a contest
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. march — music
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. race — the arms race
  19. march — the month
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. race — humankind
  23. pit — in a race
  24. march — the month

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