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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. scale — in music
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. race — humankind
  12. press — a publisher
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wax — to grow
  15. scale — size or range
  16. race — a contest
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. press — to push
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. band — a ring
  22. race — the arms race
  23. band — a music group
  24. stand — for spectators

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