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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. press — to push
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rock — music
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. charge — in control
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rock — a stone
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. press — newspapers
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. kid — child
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. press — a publisher
  24. arm — a part of something

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