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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 120 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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. net — after costs
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. march — the month
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. march — music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. game — a match
  11. net — in sport
  12. race — a contest
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — the season
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bulb — for light
  19. march — the month
  20. race — humankind
  21. wax — to grow
  22. net — for catching
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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