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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. press — to push
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. press — newspapers
  8. mine — for digging
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. spell — magic
  11. kid — to tease
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. hand — in cards
  14. spell — letters
  15. press — a publisher
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. charge — in control
  20. hand — help
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spell — a short time
  23. charge — a price
  24. sharp — exactly

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