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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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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 · press · root · court · ground · wind · rest · swing

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. rest — what's left
  3. root — of a word
  4. ground — crushed
  5. press — to push
  6. swing — in golf
  7. root — the cause
  8. charge — electricity
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ground — a position
  11. court — of law
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. swing — to play on
  14. charge — in control
  15. press — a publisher
  16. court — for sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. court — of a king
  19. press — newspapers
  20. swing — music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. root — of a plant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rest — a break

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