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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 124 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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. spring — the season
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. court — for sport
  5. spring — of water
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. press — to push
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. press — newspapers
  13. net — in sport
  14. pit — a hole
  15. charge — in control
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. court — of a king
  19. charge — electricity
  20. press — a publisher
  21. spring — a coil
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. court — of law
  24. pit — in a race

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