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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. charge — electricity
  5. current — electric
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. charge — in control
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. can — a tin
  15. charge — a price
  16. current — happening now
  17. pitch — completely
  18. can — a tin
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. current — of water
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stock — goods
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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