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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. charge — in control
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. charge — electricity
  5. shower — to wash
  6. charge — a price
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. track — to keep track
  9. press — a publisher
  10. season — of the year
  11. press — newspapers
  12. track — a song
  13. shower — rain
  14. lie — to recline
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. race — the arms race
  17. season — in sport
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. race — a contest
  20. game — a match
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. track — a path
  24. race — humankind

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