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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mate — to breed
  4. hand — in cards
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. charge — a price
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. hand — help
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mate — a friend
  14. capital — a city
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wax — to grow
  18. net — after costs
  19. capital — money
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. charge — in control
  22. spell — a short time
  23. net — in sport
  24. charge — electricity

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