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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. capital — a city
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rash — a series
  9. wax — to grow
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rash — hasty
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. capital — money
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. charge — a price
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wax — for sculpting

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