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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 120 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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wax — to grow
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. mark — a grade
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. file — a document
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a trace
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cap — a hat
  13. file — a line of people
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. charge — a price
  19. file — a tool
  20. cap — a lid
  21. clip — to cut
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cap — of ice
  24. clip — a video

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