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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. race — a contest
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. suit — clothes
  7. press — newspapers
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wax — to grow
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. suit — in cards
  12. object — to protest
  13. suit — to fit
  14. press — to push
  15. race — humankind
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. row — a line
  19. march — music
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. object — a thing
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. deal — to handle
  24. row — to paddle

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