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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: shower · press · kick · charge · field · rest

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. press — newspapers
  4. field — a subject
  5. charge — a price
  6. press — to push
  7. kick — in football
  8. shower — rain
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. charge — in control
  13. rest — what's left
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. shower — to wash
  17. press — a publisher
  18. charge — electricity

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