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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 116 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 so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. wax — to grow
  3. mate — to breed
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. board — to get on
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. dip — to sink
  8. sharp — clever
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. board — a committee
  15. charge — in control
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. charge — electricity
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. mate — a partner
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. charge — a price
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. mate — a friend

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