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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. charge — in control
  3. club — for golf
  4. charge — a price
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. shower — rain
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. charge — electricity
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. press — a publisher
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. board — to get on
  14. root — of a word
  15. root — of a plant
  16. club — a group
  17. snap — to click
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. board — a committee
  22. root — the cause
  23. field — for sport
  24. shower — to wash

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