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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. game — a match
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — a series
  8. rest — what's left
  9. prune — to trim
  10. drill — army training
  11. land — ground
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. rash — hasty
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. game — wild animals
  18. drill — a practice
  19. snap — to click
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. press — a publisher
  22. land — to come down
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. game — a kind of play

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