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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. charge — a price
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. court — of law
  6. hand — in cards
  7. field — for sport
  8. press — to push
  9. court — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cap — a lid
  14. hand — help
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cap — of ice
  17. press — a publisher
  18. charge — in control
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. field — farmland
  22. court — of a king
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mouse — for a computer

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