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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. craft — boats
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. net — after costs
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rule — government
  13. craft — a skill
  14. race — humankind
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. race — a contest
  17. net — in sport
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. net — for catching
  21. rule — a law
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. cold — not warm

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