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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. board — a committee
  3. press — newspapers
  4. content — the amount
  5. face — to confront
  6. root — of a plant
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. content — happy
  9. wound — an injury
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. charge — electricity
  12. date — the fruit
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. root — the cause
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. press — to push
  20. charge — in control
  21. press — a publisher
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — of a word
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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