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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. charge — a price
  4. wind — moving air
  5. hand — in cards
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. hand — help
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. charge — in control
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. press — newspapers
  19. net — in sport
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — after costs
  23. rock — a stone
  24. kick — in football

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