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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. race — humankind
  3. wax — to grow
  4. current — happening now
  5. fall — to drop
  6. race — the arms race
  7. content — the amount
  8. capital — a city
  9. race — a contest
  10. content — happy
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. current — electric
  16. dip — to sink
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. capital — money
  19. fall — the season
  20. current — of water
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fall — to drop
  24. dip — a sauce

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