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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. ground — a position
  3. charge — in control
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ground — the earth
  6. sharp — clever
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. clip — a video
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. charge — a price
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bound — certain
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. shower — rain
  16. bound — obliged
  17. wax — to grow
  18. charge — electricity
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ground — crushed
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. clip — for paper
  24. wax — in the ear

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