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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. club — for dancing
  3. face — part of the head
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. kid — child
  9. charge — in control
  10. club — for golf
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. club — a group
  15. face — to confront
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — a price
  21. deal — to handle
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wax — to grow
  24. rest — what's left

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