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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: race · wax · snap · mate · game · bay · clip · date

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. race — a contest
  3. clip — to cut
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mate — a friend
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. mate — to breed
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. mate — a partner
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. clip — a video
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. wax — to grow
  20. race — humankind
  21. clip — for paper
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. game — a match
  24. wax — for sculpting

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