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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. race — a contest
  8. net — in sport
  9. wax — to grow
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. net — after costs
  12. pop — soda
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pop — music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. race — humankind
  20. net — for catching
  21. pop — to visit
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ball — a great time

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