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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. fall — the season
  3. rule — a law
  4. wax — to grow
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — electricity
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — from crying
  14. game — a match
  15. rule — government
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. tear — to rip
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. charge — in control

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