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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. row — to paddle
  3. kick — in football
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. charge — a price
  6. clip — a video
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. charge — electricity
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wax — to grow
  13. roll — a list
  14. clip — to cut
  15. row — a line
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. staff — employees
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. staff — a stick
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. staff — employees
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. charge — in control

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