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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mark — a trace
  3. clip — to cut
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. clip — for paper
  6. wax — to grow
  7. clip — a video
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. capital — a city
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. charge — a price
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. charge — electricity
  15. capital — money
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. charge — in control
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. mark — a grade
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — to move gently

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