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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ground — crushed
  3. land — ground
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stock — goods
  6. land — to come down
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stock — shares
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cell — a phone
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ground — the earth
  20. press — to push
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. ground — a position
  24. ruler — for measuring

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