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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. charge — a price
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. charge — electricity
  6. key — in music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. charge — in control
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. key — for a lock
  14. face — to confront
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cap — of ice
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wax — to grow
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cap — a hat
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a ring

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