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

Word bank: pit · pound · charge · cold · lean · bat · wax · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wax — to grow
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cold — not warm
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. pit — a hole
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cold — an illness
  17. charge — in control
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. charge — a price
  23. lean — thin
  24. pound — a weight

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