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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 116 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 were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. row — to paddle
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. row — a line
  8. squash — to crush
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. charge — in control
  11. hand — in cards
  12. charge — electricity
  13. capital — money
  14. charge — a price
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. hand — help
  17. wax — to grow
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. squash — the sport
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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