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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. capital — a city
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. race — humankind
  8. roll — a list
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. capital — money
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — to bear
  20. roll — a cake
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. race — the arms race
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wax — to grow

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