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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. charge — in control
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. face — to confront
  7. swing — to play on
  8. press — to push
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. face — part of the head
  12. charge — a price
  13. press — newspapers
  14. ball — a dance
  15. press — a publisher
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. swing — in golf
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ball — a great time
  20. face — to point toward
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — an illness
  23. swing — music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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