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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. craft — a skill
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. degree — from a university
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. land — to come down
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. press — to push
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rest — what's left
  17. craft — boats
  18. degree — an amount
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. degree — temperature

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