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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. season — of the year
  3. press — newspapers
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. charge — a price
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rash — a series
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. charge — in control
  12. land — a country
  13. charge — electricity
  14. drill — a practice
  15. row — to paddle
  16. drill — army training
  17. land — to come down
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rash — hasty
  21. land — ground
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. season — in sport

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