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

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. last — to go on
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. charge — in control
  7. wax — to grow
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. charge — electricity
  10. fine — high quality
  11. last — final
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. last — finally
  14. pitch — completely
  15. charge — a price
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. fine — all right
  18. hide — to keep secret

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