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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. sharp — clever
  3. net — after costs
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. file — a tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. mark — a grade
  11. file — a document
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. net — for catching
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. file — a line of people
  17. charge — a price
  18. mark — a trace
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bulb — for light
  23. charge — in control
  24. wax — to grow

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