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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. net — after costs
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. charge — electricity
  8. net — in sport
  9. roll — a cake
  10. squash — the sport
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. charge — in control
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bat — the animal
  21. roll — a list
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. net — for catching

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