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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: saw · game · chair · charge · roll · race · press · shower

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. charge — in control
  4. game — wild animals
  5. press — newspapers
  6. chair — a leader
  7. game — a match
  8. shower — rain
  9. saw — the tool
  10. press — a publisher
  11. charge — a price
  12. roll — a cake
  13. shower — to wash
  14. race — humankind
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. press — to push
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. race — a contest
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. roll — a list
  23. race — the arms race
  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