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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 116 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bound — certain
  4. chip — to eat
  5. court — of law
  6. charge — in control
  7. bound — obliged
  8. court — of a king
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. chip — for betting
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — the season
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. court — for sport
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bound — tied together
  22. charge — a price
  23. spring — a coil
  24. wax — in the ear

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