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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. race — the arms race
  3. fine — high quality
  4. season — in sport
  5. tube — a container
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pitch — completely
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tube — the underground
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. scale — in music
  22. fine — all right
  23. scale — size or range
  24. season — of the year

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