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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bat — the animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — ground
  5. mug — a face
  6. land — a country
  7. swing — to play on
  8. deal — to handle
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mug — to rob
  11. press — newspapers
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. mug — a cup
  17. content — the amount
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. swing — music
  21. press — to push
  22. content — happy
  23. drill — the tool
  24. press — a publisher

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