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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bass — low music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mate — a partner
  7. race — humankind
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. mate — to breed
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bear — the animal
  19. wax — to grow
  20. mate — a friend
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bass — the fish
  23. kid — child
  24. perch — for a bird

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