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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. spring — the season
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — to push
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. press — a publisher
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — of water
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. charge — in control
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. snap — to click
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. charge — a price

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