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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 · fork · march · toast · snap · hide · charge · press

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. press — a publisher
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. march — the month
  8. press — to push
  9. game — a match
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. charge — in control
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. game — wild animals
  15. charge — a price
  16. march — the month
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. fork — in a road
  19. toast — bread
  20. snap — to click
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. march — music
  23. game — a kind of play
  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