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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. band — a music group
  3. press — a publisher
  4. charge — in control
  5. press — to push
  6. band — a ring
  7. wound — an injury
  8. charge — electricity
  9. current — of water
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — the earth
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — for catching
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pop — music
  18. current — electric
  19. current — happening now
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — to visit
  22. press — newspapers
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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