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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. charge — electricity
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. charge — in control
  7. rush — hurry
  8. board — to get on
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cell — a phone
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — to grow
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. board — a committee
  17. charge — a price
  18. degree — from a university
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cell — in biology
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wax — for sculpting

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