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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chest — of your body
  6. snap — to click
  7. pop — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pop — soda
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. charge — a price
  12. pop — to visit
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mark — a grade
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. charge — in control
  23. chest — a box
  24. ball — a round shape

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