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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. rash — a series
  4. current — happening now
  5. wax — to grow
  6. degree — temperature
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. current — electric
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. degree — from a university
  11. cap — a lid
  12. rash — hasty
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. current — of water
  16. race — a contest
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rock — music
  19. race — humankind
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cap — of ice

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