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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. clip — to cut
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. clip — for paper
  6. stock — goods
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. key — for a lock
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. key — the most important part
  16. race — a contest
  17. clip — a video
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. wax — to grow
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pass — a permit
  24. stock — shares

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