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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. face — to confront
  4. pop — soda
  5. charge — a price
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. track — a path
  10. charge — electricity
  11. track — a song
  12. wax — to grow
  13. charge — in control
  14. pop — music
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. staff — employees
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. track — to keep track
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pop — to visit

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