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

Word bank: rule · craft · bowl · net · row · race · wax · toast

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. net — for catching
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. row — a line
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. craft — boats
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. race — humankind
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. race — the arms race
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. net — after costs
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rule — government
  17. race — a contest
  18. net — in sport
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. toast — bread
  22. rule — a law
  23. row — to paddle
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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