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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fork — in a road
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mate — to breed
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chip — for betting
  11. race — humankind
  12. game — wild animals
  13. race — the arms race
  14. game — a match
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. last — finally
  18. mate — a partner
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. last — to go on
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. last — final
  23. chip — to eat
  24. race — a contest

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