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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. dip — to sink
  4. press — newspapers
  5. field — a subject
  6. root — of a word
  7. charge — a price
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. ball — a great time
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. press — a publisher
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. field — farmland
  15. press — to push
  16. field — for sport
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. charge — in control
  21. root — the cause
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. root — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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