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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. charge — a price
  4. tear — to rip
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — electricity
  7. land — a country
  8. season — in sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. land — ground
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. season — of the year
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. press — newspapers
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pitch — completely
  20. swing — music
  21. hand — help
  22. land — to come down
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — to play on

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