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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. last — to go on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. charge — a price
  6. court — for sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. last — finally
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bound — tied together
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. court — of law
  15. bark — to shout
  16. last — final
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bound — certain
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bound — obliged
  21. court — of a king
  22. charge — in control
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. wax — to grow

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