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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mine — for digging
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cell — a phone
  6. current — electric
  7. wax — to grow
  8. band — a music group
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. game — wild animals
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — part of the head
  17. charge — a price
  18. current — of water
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. charge — in control
  22. current — happening now
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. game — a match

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