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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. land — ground
  2. wax — to grow
  3. court — for sport
  4. land — a country
  5. charge — in control
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. suit — clothes
  8. charge — electricity
  9. land — to come down
  10. degree — temperature
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. court — of a king
  15. charge — a price
  16. suit — in cards
  17. degree — an amount
  18. squash — to crush
  19. suit — to fit
  20. degree — from a university
  21. rule — government
  22. court — of law
  23. rule — a law
  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