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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. press — newspapers
  4. pop — soda
  5. wax — to grow
  6. press — to push
  7. dip — to sink
  8. rule — government
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. pop — music
  11. pop — to visit
  12. land — a country
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. press — a publisher
  17. land — ground
  18. race — humankind
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. race — the arms race
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. land — to come down
  23. race — a contest
  24. degree — from a university

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