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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. land — a country
  3. charge — in control
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. charge — a price
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. last — finally
  9. land — ground
  10. land — to come down
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. last — final
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. last — to go on
  22. snap — to click
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. roll — a list

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