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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. file — a tool
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. race — humankind
  6. roll — a cake
  7. race — a contest
  8. roll — a list
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. can — to be able to
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. spring — a coil
  13. file — a line of people
  14. court — for sport
  15. wax — to grow
  16. court — of law
  17. spring — the season
  18. court — of a king
  19. race — the arms race
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. file — a document
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. spring — of water

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