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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bass — low music
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pitch — completely
  5. race — humankind
  6. bass — the fish
  7. race — a contest
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. scale — size or range
  11. race — the arms race
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. court — for sport
  16. rule — government
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. court — of law
  20. wax — to grow
  21. scale — in music
  22. court — of a king
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — a law

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