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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. land — a country
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. field — for sport
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fork — in a road
  8. field — a subject
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. staff — employees
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. land — to come down
  15. vault — a safe
  16. staff — a stick
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. staff — employees
  19. land — ground
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. field — farmland
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. band — a music group

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