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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. pop — music
  3. track — a song
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. race — humankind
  6. track — to keep track
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pop — to visit
  9. key — in music
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. key — for a lock
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. wax — to grow
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. content — the amount
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. content — happy
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pop — soda
  22. sharp — clever
  23. key — the most important part
  24. track — a path

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