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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. press — newspapers
  3. charge — electricity
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wake — a trail
  7. ground — the earth
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. charge — in control
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wound — an injury
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. ground — a position
  20. kick — in football
  21. kid — to tease
  22. ground — crushed
  23. charge — a price
  24. kid — child

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