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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. spell — letters
  3. degree — an amount
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. last — finally
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mug — a face
  8. charge — a price
  9. last — to go on
  10. charge — in control
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mug — a cup
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wax — to grow
  17. spell — magic
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. mug — to rob
  20. last — final
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. firm — steady
  23. degree — from a university
  24. firm — decided

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