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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. prune — to trim
  3. face — to confront
  4. deal — to handle
  5. field — for sport
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. face — part of the head
  9. saw — the tool
  10. field — a subject
  11. press — a publisher
  12. prune — to trim
  13. saw — the tool
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. charge — electricity
  16. field — farmland
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. press — to push
  19. face — to point toward
  20. charge — a price
  21. pit — a hole
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. pit — in a race

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