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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. race — humankind
  3. cue — a signal
  4. race — a contest
  5. can — to be able to
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. game — a match
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cue — for pool
  12. rash — a series
  13. wax — to grow
  14. can — a tin
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — the arms race
  17. rash — hasty
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. can — a tin
  24. game — a kind of play

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