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

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. kid — to tease
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — hasty
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. game — a match
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. can — a tin
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. wind — moving air
  16. charge — in control
  17. can — a tin
  18. rash — a series
  19. kid — child
  20. press — to push
  21. game — wild animals
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — electricity
  24. mine — an explosive

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