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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. net — in sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rock — music
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — humankind
  8. spring — of water
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. spring — the season
  13. chair — a leader
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rest — what's left
  16. race — the arms race
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. spring — a coil
  20. net — after costs
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rest — a break
  24. rock — to move gently

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