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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. charge — electricity
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fork — in a road
  5. charge — in control
  6. chip — for betting
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. court — of a king
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. court — of law
  14. press — to push
  15. kid — child
  16. charge — a price
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. court — for sport
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. trunk — of a tree

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