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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. rule — government
  5. spell — letters
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. race — a contest
  12. hand — in cards
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. spell — a short time
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. spell — magic

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