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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rock — music
  4. game — a match
  5. land — to come down
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. pit — a hole
  8. land — ground
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rock — a stone
  12. press — newspapers
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cell — a phone
  17. press — to push
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. cell — in biology
  20. land — a country
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. game — wild animals

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