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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rock — music
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — a contest
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. ball — a great time
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rock — a stone
  15. race — humankind
  16. clip — a video
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. clip — to cut
  21. wax — to grow
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. clip — for paper

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