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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: cue · race · cap · net · cabinet · wax · hide · march

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wax — to grow
  7. race — humankind
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. march — music
  14. race — the arms race
  15. march — the month
  16. race — a contest
  17. net — after costs
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. march — the month
  21. cue — a hint
  22. net — for catching
  23. net — in sport
  24. cap — a hat

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