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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. game — a match
  3. present — a gift
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. charge — in control
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. present — the time now
  10. saw — the tool
  11. ball — a great time
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — a price
  17. ball — a dance
  18. present — there
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. press — newspapers

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