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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. current — electric
  3. pop — to visit
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. row — a line
  8. rule — government
  9. current — of water
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. pop — soda
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rule — a law
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. chip — to eat
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. suit — clothes
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. suit — to fit
  20. pitch — completely
  21. wax — to grow
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pop — music
  24. current — happening now

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