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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: press · march · chip · foot · deal · charge · season · prune

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. press — a publisher
  4. charge — a price
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. deal — to handle
  12. chip — for betting
  13. prune — to trim
  14. charge — in control
  15. march — the month
  16. foot — a measure
  17. march — music
  18. season — in sport
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. march — the month
  24. 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