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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. drill — army training
  5. stock — goods
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. drill — a practice
  9. court — for sport
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. race — the arms race
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. race — humankind
  15. rush — hurry
  16. court — of law
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wax — to grow
  20. stock — shares
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. court — of a king
  24. race — a contest

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