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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. race — the arms race
  5. wax — to grow
  6. race — humankind
  7. wound — an injury
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. capital — a city
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. stock — shares
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — an injury
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. capital — money
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. race — a contest
  21. stock — goods
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. jam — in traffic

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