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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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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. charge — a price
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. race — the arms race
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. deal — to handle
  13. race — humankind
  14. present — the time now
  15. race — a contest
  16. wind — moving air
  17. charge — in control
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. land — a country
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — ground
  24. press — a publisher

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