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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mine — for digging
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. scale — in music
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. current — electric
  12. charge — electricity
  13. hand — in cards
  14. current — happening now
  15. ball — a great time
  16. hand — help
  17. mug — a face
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — a price
  20. mug — a cup
  21. ball — a dance
  22. current — of water
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mine — an explosive

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