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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. court — for sport
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. press — to push
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. charge — in control
  13. press — newspapers
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. hand — help
  17. row — a line
  18. charge — a price
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fork — in a road
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. hand — part of the body

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