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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. present — there
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mark — a trace
  7. staff — employees
  8. present — the time now
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — an amount
  11. spell — letters
  12. lie — to recline
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spell — magic
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spell — a short time
  19. staff — employees
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. charge — a price
  24. staff — a stick

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