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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 116 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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rock — music
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wound — an injury
  8. charge — in control
  9. cue — a signal
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. press — to push
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. kick — in football
  19. charge — electricity
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rock — to move gently

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