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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. wax — to grow
  3. charge — in control
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. race — a contest
  6. charge — a price
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. race — the arms race
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. charge — electricity
  14. shower — rain
  15. deal — to handle
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — of the year
  19. shower — to wash
  20. snap — to click
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. race — humankind

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