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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pound — a weight
  3. roll — a cake
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wake — a trail
  10. court — for sport
  11. charge — electricity
  12. face — to confront
  13. wax — to grow
  14. charge — a price
  15. roll — a list
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. cell — in biology
  24. charge — in control

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