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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spell — letters
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. spring — the season
  9. spell — magic
  10. charge — in control
  11. spell — a short time
  12. press — a publisher
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bound — certain
  15. spring — of water
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. charge — a price
  20. press — to push
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. press — newspapers
  24. spring — a coil

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