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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. race — the arms race
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cold — an illness
  5. race — humankind
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mate — to breed
  11. race — a contest
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mug — a cup
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mug — a face
  19. mate — a partner
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. mate — a friend
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cold — the Cold War

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