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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. chip — for betting
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. press — to push
  5. saw — the tool
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. drill — a practice
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. press — newspapers
  12. season — of the year
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. saw — the tool
  15. charge — a price
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. press — a publisher
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. charge — in control
  21. drill — army training
  22. chip — to eat
  23. season — in sport
  24. drill — the tool

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