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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 120 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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. race — a contest
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bulb — for light
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rule — government
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cell — a phone
  14. rule — a law
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. race — humankind
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. wave — with your hand

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