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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. charge — in control
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. game — a match
  10. current — of water
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pass — a permit
  14. current — happening now
  15. charge — a price
  16. land — to come down
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. current — electric
  20. land — a country
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. charge — electricity
  23. land — ground
  24. pass — to succeed

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