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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. race — the arms race
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. cell — a phone
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. track — a path
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. track — a song
  16. race — humankind
  17. wax — to grow
  18. race — a contest
  19. track — to keep track
  20. chair — a leader
  21. cell — in biology
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. racket — for tennis

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