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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. race — humankind
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ground — crushed
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rock — music
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rock — a stone
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. race — a contest
  16. race — the arms race
  17. wax — to grow
  18. foot — a measure
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ground — a position
  22. game — wild animals
  23. ground — the earth
  24. game — a match

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