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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. saw — the tool
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. charge — electricity
  5. band — a ring
  6. land — a country
  7. charge — a price
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mug — to rob
  10. press — to push
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. press — a publisher
  13. shower — to wash
  14. land — to come down
  15. press — newspapers
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mug — a face
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. band — a music group
  20. land — ground
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. shower — rain
  23. mug — a cup
  24. saw — the tool

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