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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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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stock — shares
  6. land — ground
  7. sharp — clever
  8. tube — a container
  9. rush — hurry
  10. press — newspapers
  11. tube — the underground
  12. season — in sport
  13. press — a publisher
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. season — of the year
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. squash — the sport
  18. land — to come down
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. squash — to crush
  22. press — to push
  23. stock — goods
  24. squash — the vegetable

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