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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.

Make a worksheet

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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mug — a face
  5. file — a tool
  6. key — in music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mug — to rob
  9. foot — a measure
  10. key — the most important part
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. land — a country
  14. mine — for digging
  15. land — ground
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. land — to come down
  21. press — to push
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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