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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: game · rule · prune · swing · march · charge · press · club

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rule — a law
  3. press — a publisher
  4. charge — in control
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. club — for dancing
  7. press — newspapers
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. charge — electricity
  13. march — the month
  14. club — a group
  15. press — to push
  16. charge — a price
  17. prune — to trim
  18. march — the month
  19. rule — government
  20. prune — to trim
  21. game — a match
  22. club — for golf
  23. march — music
  24. game — wild animals

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