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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. kid — child
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pitch — completely
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fine — all right
  13. scale — in music
  14. lean — to bend
  15. snap — to click
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. wax — to grow
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. fine — high quality
  21. kid — to tease
  22. scale — size or range
  23. charge — in control
  24. lean — thin

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