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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. can — a tin
  3. race — the arms race
  4. foot — a measure
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. can — to be able to
  9. ball — a great time
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — the animal
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. wind — moving air

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