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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. present — a gift
  3. charge — electricity
  4. pop — music
  5. press — to push
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. charge — in control
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. scale — size or range
  14. lie — to recline
  15. press — a publisher
  16. shower — to wash
  17. track — a path
  18. scale — in music
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pop — soda
  23. shower — rain
  24. pop — to visit

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