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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 108 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rock — a stone
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rock — music
  6. charge — electricity
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ground — crushed
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. charge — a price
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. ground — a position
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. charge — in control
  24. ground — the earth

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