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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 120 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. press — a publisher
  8. track — to keep track
  9. club — for golf
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rule — government
  12. charge — electricity
  13. press — to push
  14. club — a group
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. club — for dancing
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. perch — the fish
  22. press — newspapers
  23. charge — in control
  24. deal — to handle

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