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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · mate · charge · last · chair · jam · snap · game

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. snap — to click
  3. wax — to grow
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. mate — a partner
  6. charge — in control
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. last — to go on
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. last — final
  11. mate — a friend
  12. charge — electricity
  13. game — a match
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. last — finally
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mate — to breed
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. charge — a price
  24. game — wild animals

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