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

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. land — ground
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. press — to push
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. press — newspapers
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. dip — to sink
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. land — to come down
  17. object — an aim
  18. game — a match
  19. object — a thing
  20. wind — moving air
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. object — to protest
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. land — a country

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