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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. land — a country
  3. scale — in music
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fine — all right
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. band — a ring
  9. land — to come down
  10. band — a music group
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. land — ground
  14. current — happening now
  15. wax — to grow
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. scale — size or range
  19. fine — high quality
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. charge — in control
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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