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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: charge · field · staff · mug · press · trunk · snap · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. field — farmland
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. press — a publisher
  6. press — newspapers
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. field — a subject
  10. press — to push
  11. mug — to rob
  12. charge — in control
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. game — wild animals
  17. charge — a price
  18. mug — a face
  19. charge — electricity
  20. mug — a cup
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. snap — to click
  23. field — for sport
  24. staff — a stick

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