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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. court — for sport
  3. press — to push
  4. charge — a price
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. court — of a king
  7. pop — to visit
  8. root — of a word
  9. pop — music
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. charge — in control
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. root — the cause
  14. pop — soda
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pitch — completely
  19. root — of a plant
  20. press — newspapers
  21. court — of law
  22. game — a match
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. press — a publisher

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