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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  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. wax — to grow
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. staff — a stick
  4. current — happening now
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chip — to eat
  7. current — electric
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. current — of water
  11. foot — a measure
  12. chip — for betting
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cap — a lid
  15. staff — employees
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. staff — employees
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cap — a hat
  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