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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. staff — a stick
  3. sharp — clever
  4. net — after costs
  5. pop — soda
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. track — to keep track
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. charge — electricity
  11. staff — employees
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. charge — in control
  14. wax — to grow
  15. track — a path
  16. net — for catching
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. charge — a price
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. net — in sport
  22. staff — employees
  23. pop — to visit
  24. track — a song

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