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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. saw — the tool
  4. game — a match
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bank — of a river
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bank — for money
  9. charge — a price
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. bank — for money
  12. press — newspapers
  13. pop — to visit
  14. press — a publisher
  15. kid — child
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. kid — to tease
  18. press — to push
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. saw — the tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — wild animals
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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