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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 116 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 · bear · rule · straw · capital · press · pop · lie

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. capital — a city
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pop — music
  10. rule — a law
  11. press — a publisher
  12. rule — government
  13. charge — in control
  14. lie — to recline
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. capital — money
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bear — the animal
  19. press — newspapers
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. pop — soda
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. press — to push
  24. lie — an untruth

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