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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. race — a contest
  3. game — wild animals
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fine — all right
  8. ground — crushed
  9. race — humankind
  10. wax — to grow
  11. pop — music
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pop — soda
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — the earth
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. ground — a position

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