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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rock — music
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. charge — a price
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. charge — in control
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. land — a country
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. net — after costs
  16. land — to come down
  17. roll — a cake
  18. net — for catching
  19. rock — a stone
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. net — in sport
  24. land — ground

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