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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. press — a publisher
  3. charge — in control
  4. present — a gift
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. drill — a practice
  11. capital — a city
  12. present — there
  13. bat — the animal
  14. press — to push
  15. drill — army training
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. press — newspapers
  20. charge — a price
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bat — for baseball

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