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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — a contest
  3. game — a match
  4. wax — to grow
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. rush — hurry
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. race — humankind
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. net — in sport
  14. last — finally
  15. net — for catching
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. chip — for betting
  18. net — after costs
  19. last — to go on
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chip — to eat
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. last — final

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