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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. charge — electricity
  3. charge — a price
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mine — for digging
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. net — for catching
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. row — a line
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. row — to paddle
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pitch — completely
  18. charge — in control
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. net — after costs
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — in sport

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