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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. field — farmland
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. last — final
  5. suit — to fit
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. drill — a practice
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rule — government
  10. last — finally
  11. race — a contest
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. field — a subject
  14. suit — clothes
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. field — for sport
  17. suit — in cards
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. last — to go on
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rule — a law
  23. wax — to grow
  24. drill — army training

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