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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. track — a path
  4. land — a country
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. track — a song
  10. press — to push
  11. rock — music
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. press — newspapers
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. row — a line
  20. press — a publisher
  21. land — ground
  22. track — to keep track
  23. land — to come down
  24. deal — an agreement

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