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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — a price
  4. file — a document
  5. wax — to grow
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. march — music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. march — the month
  11. foot — a measure
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. file — a tool
  16. season — in sport
  17. cold — an illness
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. season — of the year
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. charge — electricity

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