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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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. charge — electricity
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. charge — a price
  6. game — a match
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. cell — in biology
  9. club — a group
  10. cell — a phone
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — wild animals
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. row — a line
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. club — for golf
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. row — to paddle
  24. charge — in control

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