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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. swing — in golf
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bound — tied together
  8. capital — a city
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bound — certain
  11. swing — music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cap — a lid
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. board — a committee
  17. cap — of ice
  18. swing — to play on
  19. race — a contest
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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