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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. race — a contest
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. charge — a price
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. charge — in control
  8. race — the arms race
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. tear — to rip
  12. kick — in football
  13. wax — to grow
  14. object — to protest
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. tear — from crying
  18. object — a thing
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. object — an aim
  21. race — humankind
  22. rule — a law
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rule — government

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