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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. charge — in control
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spell — letters
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pitch — completely
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. board — a committee
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. board — to get on
  22. staff — a stick
  23. foot — a measure
  24. mine — belonging to me

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