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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. track — a song
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. kid — child
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. face — part of the head
  9. plane — a tool
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. charge — electricity
  12. track — a path
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. charge — in control
  17. face — to confront
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rock — a stone
  20. track — to keep track
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rock — music
  23. wax — to grow
  24. plane — an aircraft

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