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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 120 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. net — in sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. net — after costs
  7. squash — the sport
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. net — for catching
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. squash — to crush
  12. pitch — completely
  13. charge — electricity
  14. foot — a measure
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. press — to push
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. charge — in control
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. cabinet — ministers

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