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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. charge — in control
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rule — a law
  9. press — newspapers
  10. charge — a price
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. press — a publisher
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. charge — electricity
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. bass — low music
  18. press — to push
  19. net — for catching
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — not warm
  22. rule — government
  23. lean — thin
  24. wake — before a funeral

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