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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wax — to grow
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bass — low music
  9. charge — a price
  10. game — a match
  11. bass — the fish
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rash — a series
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. content — happy
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. charge — electricity
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. content — the amount
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. rush — hurry

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