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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pop — soda
  5. charge — a price
  6. pop — to visit
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mark — a grade
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pop — music
  12. charge — in control
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. mark — a trace
  17. content — happy
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. charge — electricity
  20. kid — to tease
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wax — to grow
  23. kid — child
  24. content — the amount

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