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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. sharp — clever
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. tube — a container
  5. charge — electricity
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. charge — a price
  10. current — electric
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. charge — in control
  16. march — the month
  17. hand — in cards
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. current — of water
  21. hand — help
  22. deal — to handle
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. sharp — exactly

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