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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. mark — a grade
  4. press — to push
  5. rash — a series
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rash — hasty
  15. charge — in control
  16. press — newspapers
  17. shower — rain
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. prune — to trim
  20. press — a publisher
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. prune — the fruit

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