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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. hand — help
  4. charge — in control
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. charge — electricity
  9. press — a publisher
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. press — to push
  13. hand — in cards
  14. field — a subject
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mine — for digging
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. press — newspapers

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