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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. ball — a dance
  3. charge — a price
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wax — to grow
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. land — a country
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. lean — thin
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. charge — in control
  15. land — ground
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. lean — to bend
  18. land — to come down
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. kid — child
  21. scale — in music
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. charge — electricity
  24. kid — to tease

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