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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. press — to push
  3. charge — a price
  4. capital — money
  5. charge — electricity
  6. press — a publisher
  7. swing — music
  8. prune — to trim
  9. capital — a city
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. prune — to trim
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. march — the month
  22. swing — to play on
  23. press — newspapers
  24. charge — in control

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