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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. race — a contest
  6. rest — what's left
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chip — to eat
  15. chip — for betting
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rest — a break
  20. cap — a lid
  21. row — a line
  22. race — the arms race
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. race — humankind

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