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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. object — to protest
  4. press — newspapers
  5. field — a subject
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — electricity
  8. object — a thing
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. drill — army training
  12. swing — to play on
  13. row — a line
  14. press — a publisher
  15. object — an aim
  16. press — to push
  17. field — for sport
  18. row — to paddle
  19. drill — the tool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. charge — a price
  22. field — farmland
  23. swing — music
  24. drill — a practice

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