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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chest — a box
  7. club — for dancing
  8. swing — to play on
  9. chest — of your body
  10. swing — in golf
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. charge — a price
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fine — high quality
  16. club — a group
  17. wound — an injury
  18. club — for golf
  19. fine — all right
  20. charge — in control
  21. row — a line
  22. swing — music
  23. wax — to grow
  24. chest — of your 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