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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.

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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. charge — electricity
  4. press — newspapers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. charge — in control
  7. cold — an illness
  8. press — a publisher
  9. clip — to cut
  10. press — to push
  11. swing — music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. clip — for paper
  14. charge — a price
  15. cell — a phone
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. cell — in biology
  18. swing — to play on
  19. cold — not warm
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. clip — a video
  23. swing — in golf
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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