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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. suit — clothes
  4. march — the month
  5. court — for sport
  6. race — humankind
  7. court — of law
  8. suit — in cards
  9. content — happy
  10. object — a thing
  11. court — of a king
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. object — to protest
  14. suit — to fit
  15. content — the amount
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. wax — to grow
  19. march — music
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. land — ground
  23. object — an aim
  24. march — the month

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