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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. land — a country
  3. squash — the sport
  4. charge — in control
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. suit — to fit
  7. clip — a video
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. squash — to crush
  10. spring — of water
  11. land — to come down
  12. press — to push
  13. spring — the season
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. press — newspapers
  16. land — ground
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. charge — a price
  19. clip — for paper
  20. suit — clothes
  21. press — a publisher
  22. suit — in cards
  23. clip — to cut
  24. spring — a coil

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