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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. last — final
  3. deal — to handle
  4. charge — in control
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. net — after costs
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. charge — a price
  10. net — for catching
  11. wax — to grow
  12. press — a publisher
  13. last — to go on
  14. capital — money
  15. last — finally
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. charge — electricity
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. capital — a city
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. net — in sport

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