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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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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: race · track · game · wax · rock · ground · object · can

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. object — to protest
  3. game — a match
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. rock — music
  7. rock — a stone
  8. game — wild animals
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ground — the earth
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wax — to grow
  15. track — a path
  16. race — humankind
  17. ground — a position
  18. race — a contest
  19. object — an aim
  20. track — a song
  21. can — a tin
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. object — a thing

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