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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. press — to push
  3. charge — a price
  4. press — a publisher
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. march — the month
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. game — a match
  12. press — newspapers
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. march — music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bear — the animal
  18. charge — in control
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. march — the month
  21. rock — a stone
  22. branch — a division
  23. charge — electricity
  24. bear — the animal

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