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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mug — a cup
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mug — a face
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. charge — electricity
  11. ground — a position
  12. charge — in control
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ground — the earth
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. ground — crushed
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. charge — a price
  24. mug — to rob

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