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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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. chair — to sit on
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. charge — electricity
  4. root — of a word
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pitch — completely
  8. press — a publisher
  9. charge — in control
  10. root — the cause
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bark — to shout
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. charge — a price
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. press — to push
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. root — of a plant

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