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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: bowl · cap · cue · mark · wax · deal · press · race

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. press — a publisher
  5. mark — a grade
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. press — newspapers
  8. race — a contest
  9. cue — a hint
  10. mark — a trace
  11. race — humankind
  12. cap — of ice
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. cue — for pool
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. cap — a lid
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cue — a signal
  20. press — to push
  21. wax — to grow
  22. deal — to handle
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bowl — a dish

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