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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. race — a contest
  4. key — for a lock
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. race — humankind
  8. cue — a hint
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cue — a signal
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. wax — to grow
  15. bore — to drill
  16. field — farmland
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. key — in music
  19. cue — for pool
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bore — to tire

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