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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lie — to recline
  4. press — to push
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. press — a publisher
  9. court — for sport
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. charge — a price
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. court — of a king
  15. branch — a division
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. charge — in control
  18. wind — moving air
  19. track — to keep track
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. track — a song
  22. court — of law
  23. track — a path
  24. press — newspapers

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