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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. chair — a leader
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. spring — of water
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. toast — bread
  9. spring — the season
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. spring — a coil
  13. track — to keep track
  14. scale — size or range
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. wax — to grow
  17. race — the arms race
  18. track — a song
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. track — a path
  21. snap — to click
  22. race — a contest
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. scale — in music

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