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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. charge — a price
  3. mug — a face
  4. mug — a cup
  5. degree — an amount
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. charge — in control
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rock — a stone
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mug — to rob
  16. charge — electricity
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. fork — in a road
  23. degree — from a university
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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