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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. face — to confront
  3. current — of water
  4. dip — to sink
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. face — part of the head
  9. can — to be able to
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. wax — to grow
  13. face — to point toward
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. current — electric
  17. current — happening now
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. can — a tin
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. dip — to dunk

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