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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. cap — of ice
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. race — humankind
  7. chair — a leader
  8. swing — music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. cap — a hat
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. race — a contest
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cap — a lid
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. swing — in golf
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wax — to grow
  23. race — the arms race
  24. jam — a tight spot

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