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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. season — of the year
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chair — a leader
  8. charge — a price
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. charge — in control
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. degree — an amount
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bear — the animal
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pop — to visit
  22. degree — temperature
  23. charge — electricity
  24. chair — to sit on

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