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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. charge — electricity
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. suit — clothes
  6. pop — music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. press — to push
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pop — soda
  16. charge — in control
  17. cell — a phone
  18. press — newspapers
  19. charge — a price
  20. hand — help
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. wax — to grow
  24. suit — in cards

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