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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rest — what's left
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. chip — to eat
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. wax — to grow
  10. charge — electricity
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. board — to get on
  13. plane — a tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. chip — for betting
  16. ground — a position
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. charge — in control
  19. ground — the earth
  20. shower — rain
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. charge — a price
  23. ground — crushed
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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