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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. roll — a cake
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. row — to paddle
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. land — ground
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. land — a country
  17. race — the arms race
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. roll — a list
  20. land — to come down
  21. row — a line
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — to grow

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