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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. wax — to grow
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. charge — in control
  8. net — for catching
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bat — the animal
  11. vault — a safe
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. net — in sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. net — after costs
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. land — a country
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. charge — a price
  24. squash — the 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