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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. race — a contest
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. cell — in biology
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — all right
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. capital — money
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cell — a phone
  18. season — in sport
  19. object — an aim
  20. wake — a trail
  21. season — of the year
  22. capital — a city
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. object — to protest

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