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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. capital — a city
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bound — tied together
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. pop — soda
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bound — certain
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wax — to grow
  22. capital — money
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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