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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. fall — to drop
  3. charge — in control
  4. press — newspapers
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fall — the season
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. mark — a grade
  10. game — a match
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. stem — to come from
  13. press — to push
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stock — goods
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. stock — shares
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. charge — a price
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. press — a publisher

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