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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. foot — a measure
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fine — all right
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. charge — in control
  9. ball — a great time
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. race — humankind
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. scale — size or range
  17. fine — high quality
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. charge — a price
  20. season — of the year
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. wax — to grow
  24. scale — in music

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