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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.

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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. kid — to tease
  3. march — the month
  4. kid — child
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. press — to push
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rest — a break
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. charge — a price
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rest — what's left
  14. charge — in control
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rest — what's left
  21. march — music
  22. press — a publisher
  23. march — the month
  24. press — newspapers

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