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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rule — government
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. race — a contest
  10. ground — crushed
  11. charge — electricity
  12. ground — a position
  13. rule — a law
  14. land — a country
  15. charge — a price
  16. land — ground
  17. hand — in cards
  18. race — humankind
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. ground — the earth
  21. race — the arms race
  22. hand — help
  23. charge — in control
  24. wax — for sculpting

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