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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bank — for money
  3. board — to get on
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — a contest
  6. stock — goods
  7. mate — a partner
  8. board — a committee
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bank — for money
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. land — to come down
  18. race — the arms race
  19. land — a country
  20. stock — shares
  21. land — ground
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. wax — in the ear

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