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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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Word bank
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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. degree — temperature
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. degree — an amount
  16. charge — a price
  17. race — a contest
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pass — a permit
  20. race — humankind
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. charge — in control
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. race — the arms race

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