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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rash — hasty
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rash — a series
  11. race — a contest
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. race — humankind
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. date — the fruit
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. race — the arms race
  24. date — on the calendar

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