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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. board — a committee
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wake — a trail
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. mate — a friend
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. board — to get on
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — to breed

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