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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. staff — employees
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. ground — the earth
  6. charge — in control
  7. spell — magic
  8. field — for sport
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wax — to grow
  11. staff — employees
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. field — farmland
  16. staff — a stick
  17. charge — electricity
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ground — crushed
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. field — a subject
  22. pit — a hole
  23. ground — a position
  24. charge — a price

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