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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. kick — in football
  9. cap — a lid
  10. press — to push
  11. last — final
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. last — to go on
  14. firm — a company
  15. last — finally
  16. charge — in control
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. charge — a price
  19. firm — decided
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. bark — to shout
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. firm — steady

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