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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. current — electric
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cap — a hat
  9. charge — in control
  10. court — for sport
  11. current — happening now
  12. cap — a lid
  13. mine — for digging
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. current — of water
  21. cap — of ice
  22. charge — a price
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. wax — in the ear

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