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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. sharp — clever
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pitch — completely
  5. charge — electricity
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. mate — a partner
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. charge — a price
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. charge — in control
  24. wax — to grow

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