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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.

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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. press — to push
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. rash — hasty
  6. press — newspapers
  7. charge — electricity
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. swing — music
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. swing — in golf
  14. current — of water
  15. swing — to play on
  16. rash — a series
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. kick — in football
  20. cell — in biology
  21. perch — the fish
  22. current — happening now
  23. press — a publisher
  24. current — electric

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