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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. tube — a container
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bark — to shout
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. file — a tool
  9. mug — to rob
  10. file — a line of people
  11. press — to push
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. charge — in control
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tube — the underground
  16. press — newspapers
  17. net — for catching
  18. press — a publisher
  19. net — after costs
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. file — a document
  22. net — in sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mug — a face

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