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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cap — a lid
  5. charge — in control
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. cap — of ice
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. court — for sport
  11. press — a publisher
  12. charge — electricity
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. court — of a king
  15. press — to push
  16. charge — a price
  17. branch — a division
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. press — newspapers
  22. cap — a hat
  23. court — of law
  24. mine — an explosive

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