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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. squash — the sport
  3. charge — electricity
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. court — of law
  8. mug — a face
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. court — for sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. court — of a king
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. charge — in control
  23. press — a publisher
  24. charge — a price

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