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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 120 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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. drill — army training
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. race — a contest
  6. bulb — for light
  7. shower — rain
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. race — the arms race
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. squash — to crush
  16. drill — a practice
  17. shower — to wash
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. race — humankind
  20. bulb — for light
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. drill — the tool

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