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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fine — high quality
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. rest — a break
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. season — of the year
  12. stock — shares
  13. race — the arms race
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rest — what's left
  17. race — humankind
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. race — a contest
  22. rest — what's left
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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