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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. charge — in control
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. mine — for digging
  8. charge — electricity
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — to grow
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. charge — a price
  19. rush — hurry
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. last — to go on
  24. tube — a container

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