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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. file — a tool
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. chest — a box
  7. charge — electricity
  8. wax — to grow
  9. last — final
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. file — a line of people
  12. chest — of your body
  13. capital — money
  14. charge — a price
  15. file — a document
  16. last — finally
  17. shower — to wash
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. last — to go on
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. plane — a tool
  23. chest — of your body
  24. capital — a city

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