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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. charge — in control
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. capital — a city
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. capital — money
  12. bound — tied together
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. bound — certain
  22. wax — to grow
  23. sharp — clever
  24. ruler — a monarch

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