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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. track — a song
  5. race — humankind
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. charge — electricity
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. deal — to handle
  12. ground — crushed
  13. race — a contest
  14. last — finally
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. charge — a price
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. last — final
  21. race — the arms race
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. charge — in control

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