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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. race — a contest
  3. file — a document
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. race — humankind
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. court — for sport
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. key — for a lock
  13. race — the arms race
  14. court — of a king
  15. spring — the season
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spring — of water
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. court — of law
  24. key — in music

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