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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. wax — to grow
  3. charge — in control
  4. last — finally
  5. charge — electricity
  6. root — of a word
  7. chair — a leader
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. staff — employees
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. last — to go on
  13. root — of a plant
  14. foot — a measure
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. season — in sport
  17. staff — a stick
  18. root — the cause
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. season — of the year
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. last — final
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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