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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 124 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. charge — a price
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pop — to visit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. charge — in control
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — a publisher
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mate — a friend
  13. squash — the sport
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bat — the animal
  18. season — of the year
  19. press — to push
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pop — soda
  23. mate — to breed
  24. squash — to crush

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