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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. content — the amount
  3. kid — child
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. content — happy
  10. charge — in control
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. charge — a price
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. wind — moving air

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