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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. ground — a position
  4. cap — of ice
  5. charge — a price
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — a match
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. cap — a hat
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. mark — a trace
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cap — a lid
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. ground — the earth
  24. charge — in control

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