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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. track — a path
  4. chip — to eat
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chip — for betting
  8. game — wild animals
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — the arms race
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. track — to keep track
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. game — a match
  17. chest — a box
  18. track — a song
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. deal — to handle
  22. race — humankind
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. chest — of your body

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