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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mate — a friend
  7. charge — in control
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. press — newspapers
  11. snap — to click
  12. rash — a series
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. press — to push
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mine — for digging

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