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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. race — the arms race
  3. kid — child
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. race — humankind
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lean — to bend
  11. kid — to tease
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. race — a contest
  14. spring — of water
  15. lean — thin
  16. spring — a coil
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. face — part of the head
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. chair — a leader
  23. face — to confront
  24. spring — the season

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