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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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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: game · press · march · row · pop · present · charge · pitch

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. charge — a price
  3. press — a publisher
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. march — the month
  7. pop — to visit
  8. present — the time now
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. game — wild animals
  12. charge — electricity
  13. present — a gift
  14. march — music
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. charge — in control
  17. pop — music
  18. present — there
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. row — a line
  21. pitch — completely
  22. game — a match
  23. march — the month
  24. row — to paddle

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