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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. present — a gift
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. press — to push
  5. charge — a price
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. present — the time now
  8. chip — to eat
  9. press — newspapers
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. date — the fruit
  12. chip — for betting
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. rash — a series
  17. present — there
  18. file — a tool
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rash — hasty
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. press — a publisher
  24. charge — in control

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