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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wax — to grow
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mark — a grade
  7. game — a match
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. race — humankind
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. spell — magic
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spell — letters
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mark — a trace
  23. race — a contest
  24. rush — hurry

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