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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. field — a subject
  3. mate — a partner
  4. object — an aim
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. object — a thing
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. charge — electricity
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — for sport
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. field — farmland
  19. object — to protest
  20. charge — in control
  21. press — a publisher
  22. charge — a price
  23. row — a line
  24. rash — a series

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