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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. dip — to sink
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. club — for dancing
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. charge — in control
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. charge — a price
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bat — the animal
  19. wax — to grow
  20. can — a tin
  21. club — a group
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. club — for golf
  24. bat — in an idiom

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