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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. charge — in control
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. press — to push
  5. game — wild animals
  6. can — a tin
  7. file — a line of people
  8. charge — a price
  9. can — to be able to
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. key — the most important part
  14. court — of law
  15. file — a document
  16. charge — electricity
  17. file — a tool
  18. court — for sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. can — a tin
  21. press — a publisher
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. press — newspapers
  24. court — of a king

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