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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. race — humankind
  3. rule — a law
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. lean — to bend
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. key — the most important part
  9. race — the arms race
  10. court — of a king
  11. squash — to crush
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. court — of law
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. court — for sport
  18. lean — thin
  19. race — a contest
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rule — government
  24. bowl — a dish

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