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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mate — to breed
  6. game — wild animals
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. ground — crushed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. charge — a price
  12. ground — a position
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. track — a path
  16. game — a match
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. ground — the earth
  19. track — to keep track
  20. charge — in control
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. track — a song
  24. nail — for a hammer

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