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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. charge — electricity
  3. press — to push
  4. charge — in control
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. charge — a price
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. lie — to recline
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. press — newspapers
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — wild animals
  19. chair — a leader
  20. press — a publisher
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. lie — an untruth

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