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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rule — government
  6. prune — to trim
  7. swing — music
  8. rock — music
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. ground — a position
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — to grow
  14. swing — to play on
  15. ground — the earth
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — crushed
  18. chair — a leader
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rule — a law
  22. race — humankind
  23. swing — in golf
  24. race — the arms race

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