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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 potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. charge — a price
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. field — farmland
  7. board — a committee
  8. chip — for betting
  9. charge — in control
  10. board — to get on
  11. charge — electricity
  12. press — a publisher
  13. field — for sport
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pitch — completely
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. wind — moving air
  21. field — a subject
  22. press — to push
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. chip — in 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