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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. band — a ring
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. race — humankind
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. race — the arms race
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cap — a lid
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wax — to grow
  17. band — a music group
  18. key — in music
  19. race — a contest
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. key — for a lock
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. mate — to breed
  24. band — a rubber band

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