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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. rule — government
  2. race — humankind
  3. rule — a law
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. kid — to tease
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mate — a partner
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mate — to breed
  16. spring — of water
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. spring — the season
  19. kid — child
  20. race — a contest
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. mate — a friend
  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