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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. charge — electricity
  8. charge — a price
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. ground — a position
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. key — for a lock
  15. spell — letters
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. press — to push
  19. ground — crushed
  20. spell — a short time
  21. key — in music
  22. spell — magic
  23. charge — in control
  24. press — newspapers

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