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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. charge — a price
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. fine — all right
  9. charge — in control
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chair — a leader
  13. last — finally
  14. fine — high quality
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. wax — to grow
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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