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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wax — to grow
  7. field — farmland
  8. charge — in control
  9. mate — a partner
  10. charge — electricity
  11. board — to get on
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mate — a friend
  16. charge — a price
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. board — a committee
  20. mate — to breed
  21. spell — letters
  22. field — a subject
  23. spell — magic
  24. field — for sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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