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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. race — humankind
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. date — the fruit
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mine — for digging
  10. foot — a measure
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wind — moving air
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. vault — a safe
  19. race — the arms race
  20. wax — to grow
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. pound — a weight
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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