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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. press — a publisher
  3. clip — a video
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. charge — a price
  6. stock — goods
  7. charge — electricity
  8. last — finally
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bulb — for light
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — clothes
  13. key — in music
  14. press — to push
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. stock — shares
  19. key — the most important part
  20. last — to go on
  21. suit — to fit
  22. last — final
  23. clip — to cut
  24. key — for a lock

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