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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. press — newspapers
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — for catching
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bark — to shout
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. press — a publisher
  13. capital — money
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. charge — in control
  18. capital — a city
  19. press — to push
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. can — a tin
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. can — to be able to
  24. arm — part of the body

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