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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wax — to grow
  7. dip — to sink
  8. charge — in control
  9. current — of water
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. current — electric
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. season — of the year
  15. game — a match
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. suit — to fit
  19. season — in sport
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. suit — clothes
  23. current — happening now
  24. game — wild animals

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