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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. degree — from a university
  5. charge — in control
  6. board — to get on
  7. drill — a practice
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. board — a committee
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. charge — electricity
  12. degree — temperature
  13. foot — a measure
  14. drill — army training
  15. game — a match
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. degree — an amount
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. charge — a price
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. wax — to grow
  24. foot — part of the body

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