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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ground — crushed
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. row — to paddle
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. board — a committee
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wax — to grow
  12. pit — a hole
  13. face — part of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pit — in a race
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. race — the arms race
  18. face — to confront
  19. board — to get on
  20. row — a line
  21. race — humankind
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. ground — a position
  24. nail — for a hammer

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