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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. chest — a box
  3. charge — a price
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. court — for sport
  8. cell — a phone
  9. court — of law
  10. charge — electricity
  11. cue — a hint
  12. mine — for digging
  13. pop — to visit
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. court — of a king
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wax — to grow
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pop — soda
  20. charge — in control
  21. pop — music
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. cue — a signal

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