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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. land — a country
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. present — a gift
  5. shower — to wash
  6. root — of a word
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. land — to come down
  9. press — to push
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. kick — in football
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. root — of a plant
  16. present — the time now
  17. dip — to sink
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. press — a publisher
  20. land — ground
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. root — the cause
  24. shower — rain

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