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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. charge — electricity
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chest — of your body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. shower — to wash
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. key — in music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. key — for a lock
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. charge — a price
  19. key — the most important part
  20. charge — in control
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. chest — a box
  23. shower — rain
  24. wax — to grow

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