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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bound — certain
  4. row — a line
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rule — a law
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. club — a group
  10. race — the arms race
  11. row — to paddle
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bound — obliged
  17. foot — a measure
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — for golf
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. date — the fruit
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. date — on the calendar
  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