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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 116 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. firm — steady
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. race — a contest
  10. cold — not warm
  11. season — in sport
  12. shower — to wash
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — an illness
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. race — humankind
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. firm — decided
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. shower — rain
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. firm — a company

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