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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bark — to shout
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. charge — electricity
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bass — the fish
  19. charge — in control
  20. chair — a leader
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bass — low music
  24. date — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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