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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. roll — a cake
  3. squash — to crush
  4. land — to come down
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. land — a country
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — in sport
  10. sharp — clever
  11. charge — electricity
  12. fine — high quality
  13. roll — a list
  14. land — ground
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fine — all right
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. net — for catching
  24. sharp — with an edge

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