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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. field — a subject
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pound — a weight
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stock — goods
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. stock — shares
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. charge — in control
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. roll — a list
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pound — for dogs

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