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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. race — the arms race
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. scale — in music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. clip — for paper
  11. race — humankind
  12. scale — size or range
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. wax — to grow
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. clip — a video
  24. saw — the tool

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