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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. charge — electricity
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. scale — in music
  6. charge — a price
  7. rash — hasty
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. court — of law
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. press — newspapers
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. court — of a king
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. scale — size or range
  16. craft — a skill
  17. rash — a series
  18. craft — boats
  19. court — for sport
  20. charge — in control
  21. cell — a phone
  22. press — to push
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cell — in biology

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