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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. kick — in football
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rock — a stone
  6. charge — in control
  7. chest — of your body
  8. field — farmland
  9. press — newspapers
  10. board — a committee
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. charge — a price
  15. field — for sport
  16. chest — a box
  17. rock — music
  18. charge — electricity
  19. field — a subject
  20. press — to push
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. board — to get on
  24. kick — with a leg

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