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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fine — high quality
  3. land — to come down
  4. rule — a law
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pop — music
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rule — government
  13. land — a country
  14. fine — all right
  15. land — ground
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — a contest
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. race — the arms race
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wax — in the ear

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