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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · wax · game · march · mine · suit · race · fine

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — to visit
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mine — for digging
  7. march — music
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. fine — all right
  10. race — humankind
  11. wax — to grow
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pop — music
  14. suit — in cards
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — soda
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. game — a match

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